The Doren Chronicles
by Gigas13
Summary: A Pokemon fic based in my madeup region of Doren. Read more to find out. Despite the fact that it's a new region, I still use the same pokemon. Rated T just in case. Chapter 11 is now up!
1. Shipwreck

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; it belongs to Nintendo. All of the OCs and the Doren region, however, are mine.**

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Saltwater lapped at Zane's shins, causing him to groan incoherently in half-felt pain. He tried to sit up, maybe get a good idea of why his legs hurt, but his entire body ached at even the thought. So he lay there, letting the water wash over his shins, trying to think seriously about what might have happened, but eventually finding that he didn't have the energy and allowing his mind to wander. 

_Oh well,_ Zane thought, trying to be optimistic, _at least it's warm here…_His thoughts stopped for a second. Why the heck was he thinking _that_? Sure, it was warm, but warm as compared to where? Why, for that matter, did he care? All these questions were getting in his way. After all, it was warm and sunny, and he was having such a hard time staying awake. Besides, whatever was hurting him was probably nothing to be concerned about. It wasn't as if he were bleeding or anything. And if anything was wrong, wouldn't the crew have sent out an alarm? There really wasn't a good reason for him not to close his eyes and-

"Over here! We've got one!"

Zane turned his head slightly, grumbling internally. Was it too much to ask for a little peace and quiet? As several people ran over to him, two of them carrying what looked like a stretcher, Zane closed his eyes and tried to get a little rest. Honestly, for perfect strangers, these people took too much interest in… in… in…

Zane let his train of thought slip away and surrendered to the darkness.

* * *

"So, Professor, what do you think?" asked a man carrying a box full of salvage from the wrecked cruise ship. "D'ya think he's gonna make it?" 

Staring down at the young man in question, the professor shook his head. "This boy's lucky to have survived the shipwreck, but I don't know how much longer he'll be able to hold together". _In fact,_ the professor mused grimly, _he may die right here_. The young man was a mess. His clothes were torn and beaten and he seemed to be bleeding profusely from the shins, side, and, in particular, the left arm, which also seemed to be infected. Professor Alder was no medical expert, but it appeared to him that even if the young man _did_ survive, it would be necessary to amputate his arm.

"_If" being the operative word,_ he reminded himself. _Still, we have to try. After all, weren't we all in this position, at one time or another?_

"Well," Professor Alder said aloud, "He'll never have a chance if we stand around talking. Put him on the stretcher," he directed his assistants, who hurriedly did as they were told. As they worked, he pulled a poke' ball out from one of the pockets of his beaten, stained lab coat and pushed the button to release a long-necked blue pokemon covered in fluffy white feathers.

"Dirge," the professor said to the Altaria, "I trust you know where to go?"

"Altaaaaaaaaaar," the pokemon thrummed, signaling that he understood.

"Good." Professor Alder patted his Altaria quickly. "Now take the stretcher and go."

Gripping the stretcher with the young man on it gently in his talons, Dirge flew off as quickly as his wings would carry him.

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**, **there it is! Please review; I would appreciate any constructive suggestions. No flames please!**


	2. Explanation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; it belongs to Nintendo, Gamefreak, etc. All of the OCs and the Doren region, however, are mine.**

**A/N: This disclaimer applies to all further chapters. I'd really rather type it in as little as possible. **

_

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_

_Away in the distance, he saw the water rise. Fearing for his life, he began to kick in the surf, but it was no use. His legs would do little good. There was nothing he could do but close his eyes and wait for the end... _

_Unless his eyes_ weren't_ playing tricks on him; suddenly, he could see an island. With his hope renewed, albeit just barely, he tried to kick again…_

_It was working; he was slowly gaining ground…just keep kicking… kicking…kicking…kicking to where? Where to go, when all there was was darkness?_

_He had the distinct impression that he was being watched by two blood-red eyes…_

* * *

Zane bolted upright, staring with terrible, paralyzing, completely groundless fear at the ceiling he suddenly found himself under. He shook his head, trying to come back to rational thought.

_There were no eyes up there, it was just a dream, _he told himself._ Stop being an idiot._

_But for a dream, it sure was real…_

Zane raised his right hand to his head, striking a blow that was cushioned slightly by what appeared to be a red bed sheet covering his torso. _What the heck?_ he thought, slowly getting up. _What's going on?_

He took a quick look around the room he was in. The first thing he realized was that it was shoddily constructed; while it had four walls, all of them seemed to be badly beaten, and parts of them looked rusty. Still, he reasoned, it must have been meant to stand for a while; there wasn't much point in putting a light bulb on the roof of a temporary room. There was barely anything in the room; there was only the bed he had been lying on, which was right next to the room's only window, and a mirror on the other side of the window.

Walking over to stand in front of the mirror, Zane grimaced slightly at his appearance. His auburn hair, generally well combed, was grimy and sticking out in every direction, as though it had been licked repeatedly by a Miltank, then had sand poured on it. His torso was completely covered by the red bed sheet he had noticed before, which extended down to his knees and had a hole cut in the middle to accommodate his head. He still had his jeans, he could feel them, but the material that had been covering his shins was gone, revealing a large number of scrapes, cuts, and scabs.

Zane shook his head. _Okay, the first thing I'm gonna do is get somebody to tell me what the heck's going on, _he mentally declared as he walked towards the door. _Then, I'm gonna get some new clothes…_

Absentmindedly, Zane reached out his left arm to open the door, only to find that for some reason, his fingers wouldn't close around the handle. Heck, he couldn't even _feel_ the handle, or his fingers, for that matter. Confused, he lifted the bed sheet covering his torso with his right hand. Slinging the front of the sheet over his shoulder and out of his way, he gazed with horror at his left arm… or at least, what was left of it.

Zane took a few steps backward, fighting the powerful urge to scream. He wasn't the sort to back away from a little gore, but staring at the remains of his arm, which ended at about the elbow, was making him feel nauseas. He fell to his knees, his entire body trembling.

He was so absorbed in his shock that he didn't notice the door slide open.

"We thought the procedure would be easier on you if it was performed while you were still unconscious," said an apologetic, hollow-sounding voice. "You must understand; we wouldn't have done it if it wasn't necessary to save you."

Zane looked up, half-expecting to see some wild-eyed maniac in a blinding white lab coat. He guess wasn't entirely wrong; the man standing in the doorway was wearing a lab coat. However, instead of being blinding white, the lab coat was dull, stained, and, in some places, torn. The man wearing the lab coat was not the one Zane had expected. His medium-length blonde hair was combed neatly to one side, and he wore a sober, almost remorseful expression on his face.

The man spoke again. "It's good to see you out of bed. How are you feeling?"

Zane snarled at the man and leaned over slightly. He tried to push himself up with his left hand, realizing too late that he didn't _have_ a left hand anymore. He growled to himself as his chin hit the floor.

"It may take a while to get used to having one arm," said the man in the lab coat, trying desperately to hide the amused look in his eyes. "Don't push yourself too-"

"Shut up!" Zane, who was now upright, was surprised at the harsh sound of his voice. "If you think this is so funny, go get me a knife. I'll be happy to cut _your _arm off, and I'll make sure you feel every second of the operation. And before you do anything else, let's see your diploma, or hear from another of your patients, or… or… or something!" he stammered furiously. "_Then_ maybe I'll trust your opinion of what's _necessary_."

"I don't have any medical training," the man in the lab coat replied calmly, "but you can rest assured that I wasn't the one looking after you. Our own Doctor Reyn was the one looking after you. In fact, I had just come to ask her how you were doing, but since you're awake, I'll just ask you. You're a better judge of it anyway. So," he asked, stepping out of the doorway and into the room, "how are you feeling?"

"Oh, you know, just fine," Zane said, not believing the man's story about a doctor for even a second. "You know, just hanging out in a weird room with rusty walls, chillin'. Oh yeah," he added, trying to sound like he was talking about the weather or something else extremely mundane, "my arm was _cut off by a crazy scientist_, but that's no big deal. How about you, Dr. Frankenstein?"

The man in the lab coat sighed. This boy had been _much_ easier to deal with when he was unconscious.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot, young man," he said cordially. "I'm Professor Alder." Professor Alder extended his hand in greeting.

"Zane" came the reply, as Zane grabbed Professor Alder's hand and shook it apathetically, not even looking at him.

Professor Alder sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't have expected talking with you to be easy. You're alone, confused, and far away from home. Would an explanation help?"

Zane nodded, feeling somehow drained. "Sure. Explain away, Frankenstein."

Professor Alder sighed again and began his explanation.

* * *

"Wait, wait, back up," Zane interrupted, thoroughly confused. "Where am I again?"

"This is the Doren region," began Professor Alder for the seventh time, "and as far as most of the world knows, it doesn't exist."

"How come?" Zane interrupted again. "Are you trying to keep it secret?"

The professor had to laugh. "No; in fact, most of the people here would give ten years of their lives to find the way out of here. Doren is in the eye of a perpetual maelstrom that draws ships toward the center. In most cases, the wrecked ships are salvageable, but we've yet to build a ship that would be able to exit the storm without sinking."

"Why don't you build a submarine?" Zane asked.

"I was getting to that," Professor Alder replied, "just stop interrupting."

"Sorry," Zane said.

"As I was saying," Professor Alder continued, "we've tried submarines, but they never make it. We always find the salvage a few weeks after launching them."

"Since we're stuck here, most of us try to make the best of it. As I said before, most of the wrecked ships are salvageable, they just wouldn't be able to hold together to get back out. We've been very fortunate in that we've been able to recover some computers and other conveniences, so life here is almost as comfortable as it is in the outside world."

"Hold on a sec," Zane interrupted, "I thought most people here would give ten years of their lives to get back home."

"They would," Professor Alder said with as much patience as he could muster, "but that doesn't stop them from making do with what they have. And what did I say about interrupting?"

"Right, sorry," Zane replied.

"Actually," the professor admitted, "there's not much else to say. So, if you have any questions, ask them now."

"Okay," Zane began, "so how long have you been here?"

"I've been here about twenty years," the professor answered, "but some people have been here as long as fifty years. There are even a rare few people who were born here."

"Wow. So I guess I'll be staying for a while?"

"Whether you like it or not, that would seem to be the case."

"Alright," Zane said, hoping he came across as calm instead of worried, "Thanks for letting me know."

"Glad I could help," the professor said, walking towards the door. "Aside from your interruptions, it's been a pleasure, Zane. I'm glad we got off on the right foot." Giving the boy an approving smile, he opened the door to walk out.

"Wait, Professor!" Zane's voice did a poor job of hiding his fear. "Have you seen my parents? Their names are Brian and Linda, they're in their mid-forties, and they're incredibly overly controlling. I mean, come on, they want me to be a doctor. A _doctor_, for crying out loud! I'm not even vaguely interested in medicine-"

"I appreciate that you're willing to share your life story, Zane," Professor Alder said in a voice that was suddenly softer, sadder, "but I'm a researcher, not a psychiatrist."

"Oh, don't even get me _started _on tha-" Zane stopped suddenly. He didn't like the tone in the professor's voice. "Hey, why so sad all of a sudden?"

"Your parents were on the ship too, weren't they?" Professor Alder's head dropped.

"I'm sorry, Zane."

The professor walked out, shutting the door behind him with an unceremonious _thud_. Zane stood for a moment as the meaning of the professor's words sunk in, then he sat down on the bed, put his head in his hand, and began to cry.

**

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	3. Moving on

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; it belongs to Nintendo, Gamefreak, etc. All of the OCs and the Doren region, however, are mine.**

* * *

After about an hour, the door to Zane's room opened again.

He looked up at Professor Alder with dry, reddened eyes. "What do you want now?"

Professor Alder shrugged. "If you're done grieving, I think it's time we took you over to my lab."

Zane laughed bitterly. "You're gonna run some experiments on me, Frankenstein?"

Trying to keep from showing his annoyance, Professor Alder continued.

"Actually, there's _someone _waiting for you there," he said in a voice that suggested Zane should already know who this _someone_ was. "How do you feel about getting out for a while?"

"I can walk, if that's what you mean," Zane answered, rising to his feet. _If I'm spending the rest of my life here, _he thought,_ I should probably see what it's like. _"Alright, let's go." He strode as confidently as he could toward the door.

"You don't want to be walking around in public looking like you do now, do you?" Professor Alder asked casually.

Zane paused. He hadn't really thought about his appearance since he had looked in the mirror. "I guess not," he answered sheepishly.

"Well then, there's a shower down the hall to the right in the third room on the left," the professor said. "I managed to find some clothes that will fit you, as well. See you outside."

Zane shrugged. "Sure. See ya there, Frankenstein." He walked out of the room towards the showers, closing the door behind him.

Professor Alder grumbled to himself after Zane left. The boy hardly seemed to understand the concept of gratitude. And on top of that, being called "Frankenstein" was really getting on his nerves. As soon as he could no longer hear Zane's footsteps in the hallway, the professor wheeled around and punched a wall.

He mumbled in angry tones as he felt the pain sink in.

* * *

Zane followed Professor Alder over the boardwalks that served as roads in the town, which he had been surprised to learn was floating on top of a lake. That revelation, however, was the last thing on his mind as he tugged at the white wool jacket with red and blue wave designs that the professor had managed to find for him, along with a pair of khaki pants and a black t-shirt. The darned thing was remarkably itchy, and he wondered for a second why he had decided to keep wearing it. The answer came to him swiftly enough: he really liked the way it looked, though at the moment, he was seriously debating whether or not that was worth the itch. He decided to ask the Professor some questions, hoping it would take his mind off the itch.

"Hey, Frankenstein," he began, "what-"

Professor Alder whirled around. That was the last straw. He reached into his pocket and opened a poke' ball, releasing his Altaria, Dirge.

"Taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrr," thrummed Dirge, contentedly flapping its wings as he hovered near the edge of the boardwalk.

"Zane," the professor began, "I'd like you to meet Dirge, my Altaria. He's the one who carried you back from the beach after we found you there. He's normally very kind, but he has a mischievous streak a mile wide."

"Um, hi," Zane addressed the Altaria in a confused manner. "Uh, thanks, I gue-"

"Now then," interrupted Professor Alder, "I've given you the courtesy of calling you by your given name, and I would be grateful if you would show me the same gesture. Otherwise, I'm sure Dirge would be happy to fly you back to the beach and drop you in the ocean. Are we clear?"

As if on cue, Dirge began pushing Zane forcefully with his beak, as though trying to knock him of the boardwalk.

"Alright, I've got it, Franken- err, Professor," Zane mumbled. He didn't feel like going near the ocean for a long time.

"So, Professor," Zane said, rephrasing his earlier question, "What's this town called?"

"New Pallet Town," the professor replied off-handedly, simultaneously speaking with Zane, recalling Dirge, and greeting a passing friend.

"Why the heck do they call it that?" Zane asked. "We aren't anywhere near Kanto."

"Well," Professor Alder explained, "Most of the people who landed on this part of Doren-"

"This part?" Zane asked. "Does that mean-"

"Stop interrupting!" Alder snapped. "It's getting on my nerves. Anyway, as I was saying," he continued, trying to recover his collected appearance, "Most of the people who landed on this part of Doren were Pokemon trainers from Kanto. They banded together and built this city. The name 'New Pallet Town' is symbolic to them. It represents new beginnings."

"Where are you from, Professor?" Zane asked, once he was sure Professor Alder had nothing else to say.

"Originally, Sinnoh, but that doesn't matter. Now then, my lab is just ahea-"

"What was it like in Sinnoh?" Zane asked, having forgotten Professor Alder's warning for the moment.

Professor Alder stuck his right hand in his pocket and began rummaging around in it.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" Zane said, remembering the Professor's threat.

"Good. Now then, my lab is just ahead." Professor Alder motioned toward a metal building, apparently made from the pieces of several ship hulls, that was held up by a series of iron posts.

Professor Alder walked up to the building and opened the door. "Step inside, Zane."

Zane walked inside and looked around the lab. There wasn't a great deal of decoration. Several tables were lined up on the sides of the room, with one in the center that was covered in research papers and had a few poke' balls lying on it, most of them open. A water wheel in the back of the room, far away from anything else, was apparently hooked up to power several computers that sat on the side tables. The room had several light bulbs, but a great deal of light came from the skylight directly above the water wheel. A purple, froglike Pokemon with a horn jutting out from its skull was turning the water wheel using a handle on the side. It waved at Professor Alder as he came in behind Zane.

"Icroak," it grunted in a tired but cheerful voice.

"Take a break, Toxicroak," Professor Alder said. "No one else is working right now."

Toxicroak croaked happily, nodded at Zane and the Professor, hopped over to one of the open poke' balls on the table, hit the button, and disappeared as the poke' ball closed with a _click_.

Zane just stood there, somewhat surprised. "Was that who I was supposed to meet?" he asked the professor quizzically.

"No," Professor Alder admitted, "but you're on the right track." He sounded like he was hinting at something.

"So you've got a Pokemon for me to meet?" Zane inferred.

"Not just any Pokemon," the professor replied. He strode over to the central table, picked up the only poke' ball (other than Toxicroak's) that wasn't open, and hit the button. A flash of red light burst out, and a small, echidna-like Pokemon with a pale white body and silver back appeared.

"Quil," said the Cyndaquil, in a voice that was just on the edge of Zane's hearing.

"I figured you'd be glad to know that your Cyndaquil is safe and feeling just fine," Professor Alder said with a smug face.

The Cyndaquil sniffed the air. Professor Alder smiled.

Zane stared back and forth between them with complete shock.

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**Also, thank you Maypie Lord for reviewing this story. I'm glad someone's reading this.**


	4. Meeting

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; it belongs to Nintendo, Gamefreak, etc. All of the OCs and the Doren region, however, are mine.**

* * *

Professor Alder crossed his arms and smiled. As annoying as the boy had been, he had to admit he felt sympathetic. After all Zane had been through, it was high time something went right for him. Now that he knew that at least his Cyndaquil had survived, perhaps things would begin looking up for- 

"There's been some sort of mistake, Professor," Zane said suddenly. "I don't have a Cyndaquil."

WHAT? The professor nearly shouted. After all the trouble he and his assistants (when they were around) had gone through, Zane didn't even have it in him to thank them? No "Gee, Professor, thanks for looking after it"; no "I appreciate it, thank you"; not even an off-handed "Thanks"? This _child_ had no grasp of the concept of… wait a minute…

* * *

"I beg your pardon, Zane," the professor said in a confused voice, as though he was trying to get his facts straight, "did you just say that Cyndaquil _doesn't _belong to you?" 

"That's what I said, Professor," Zane said. "Why'd you think it did? I told you my parents…" (he had to stop for a moment to compose himself) "my parents tried to make me a doctor, not a Pokemon trainer. Heck, they even tried to stop me from being a trainer. Sort of a strange view for a couple of league champions to…" Zane stopped abruptly. Talking about his parents was making his eyes mist up.

He cleared his eyes and continued. "Anyway, this Cyndaquil isn't mine."

"Are you sure?" Professor Alder asked. "We found its poke' ball on the beach right after Dirge flew you here. It was sitting in almost exactly the same place as you."

Zane stared at the Cyndaquil as the Pokemon continued sniffing the air in a cold manner. It was different from any Cyndaquil he had ever seen. It seemed leaner; almost unnaturally so, and aside from its swiveling head, it stood completely still, as though it was waiting for a command. More obviously, weren't most Cyndaquils cream-colored with blue backs, as opposed to pale white with silver backs, like this one was? In any case, the Cyndaquil's features lent it a distinctly ghostlike appearance. Wait, maybe wraith was a better word…

Zane turned his attention back to Professor Alder. "Well, maybe it belonged to one of the other passengers. Did you think of that?"

"Well, if that was the case, there are only two options: find it a new owner, or release it into the wild."

Zane didn't immediately answer. He was fighting a losing battle with the majority of his brain. _Come on,_ he thought, trying to rationalize his idea to himself, _this is what you've always wanted! Besides, you're parents are gone now! Sure, it's sad, but maybe it's just a new window of opportunity!_

Zane nearly hit himself for the last comment.

_Okay, _he thought, rephrasing his argument, _there's no one stopping you from doing this anymore besides you. Why hold back? Why not live the life you want?_

"Okay," Zane thought aloud, shrugging. "Whatever."

Professor Alder nodded. "In that case, I'll take this Cyndaquil to the forest just outside of town. Maybe it can start a new life there." He bent down, picked up the Cyndaquil around the belly, and began to carry it towards the door.

"Wait!" Zane barked, "That's not what I meant. What I meant was… well… um…"

He sighed. This was _definitely_ not coming out right.

"So, no one else has a claim on that Cyndaquil, right?" Zane asked. "'Cause if not, I'd…

um… I'dliketotakeit," he said, his last words blurring together in his excitement.

"Come again?" Professor Alder asked, turning around. The Cyndaquil just sat there in his hands, looking completely indifferent to its fate.

Having gotten rid of his jitters (at least, externally), Zane strode forward and held out his hand.

"If no one else is going to take that Cyndaquil, I want to train it," he declared, hoping to sound completely self-assured instead of nervous.

Professor Alder smiled and walked over to the table in the center of the room. He picked up the battered poke' ball that had held the Cyndaquil, and tossed it to Zane, who fumbled it at first, then reached down to pick it up, his face slightly red. The professor walked over to Zane and set the Cyndaquil down on the floor. It sniffed Zane's feet with its long nose, then shrugged its tiny shoulders.

"Looks like there are no objections," Professor Alder observed. "It's yours. By the way," he remarked, "some trainers like to name their Pokemon. Is there anything you'd like to call Cyndaquil?"

Zane smiled slightly, then looked down at the Cyndaquil. He had had a name in mind ever since he took his first good look at the little Pokemon.

"I'll call you… Wraith."

Wraith looked up at its new trainer and stared at him attentively. "Quil?" it whispered.

Zane grinned. The Cyndaquil seemed to approve of its name. He was reaching down to pick Wraith up when Professor Alder suddenly shouted at him.

"Zane, get clear of the door!"

Zane grabbed Wraith in his arm as best he could and ran towards the right side of the lab.

The door flew open and slammed against the wall.

* * *


	5. Interruption

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; it belongs to Nintendo, Gamefreak, etc. All of the OCs and the Doren region, however, are mine.**

* * *

Zane set Wraith down and lifted his head to stare at the figure in the doorway. Given the volume of the slam he had heard, he had expected to see something very large and muscular grunting in a savage manner. His expectations, however, were wrong.

A young woman stood in the doorway, breathing heavily. She was wearing a green turtleneck, blue knee-length shorts, and a pair of sandals. Her black hair was unevenly cut, as though she had done it herself without being able to see her work. Her keen gray-blue eyes and slender hands gave her the impression of someone with a knack for manipulating delicate instruments. She appeared to be about sixteen, the same age as Zane.

"Professor," she panted, totally ignoring everyone else, "we've got a problem. Have you seen…? Oh," she said as she caught sight of Zane, "he's out of bed already? Wow. I thought he'd be there for at least another-"

"So _you're _the doctor?" Zane guessed, shocked to learn that there _had_ been a doctor. He turned to Professor Alder. "You had a sixteen-year-old girl cut my arm off?"

"I think I like this guy," the young woman commented with barely detectable sarcasm. "We drag his sorry butt off the beach, patch up his wounds, give him a warm bed, stop him from getting lethally infected, and he chews us out for cutting his arm off." She walked over to stand by the professor and crossed her arms. "Yep, there's gratitude for 'ya."

"So I've noticed," Professor Alder replied, smirking slightly. "And while we're on the topic, it appears my name has been changed to 'Frankenstein'."

"_Frankenstein_?" The young woman chuckled.

Professor Alder smiled evilly and reached into his pocket.

The young woman hurriedly apologized, holding her hands up in a feeble show of defense. Zane snickered in the background.

"Shut up," the young woman demanded.

"Why should I?" Zane replied, still chuckling a little. "That was funny."

The young woman waved her hand dismissively. "Shut up or I'll saw off your _other _arm."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

"Easy now," Professor Alder interrupted. This had been somewhat amusing to watch, but it was time to stop it. "Let's start over, shall we? Zane, this is Helen Reyn, the most competent-"

"And only," Helen interjected.

"-doctor in New Pallet Town," Professor Alder finished.

"I'll remember never to get medical treatment _here_ again, then," Zane muttered.

Helen walked over to Zane and stomped on his foot. Zane bit his lip, determined not to show pain.

"Calm down, both of you," Professor Alder said. "Helen, this is Zane."

"A pleasure, to be sure," Helen said sarcastically, doing an extravagant bow.

"Cut it out," Zane said flatly.

"Why should I?" asked Helen, echoing Zane's earlier comment. "This is fun."

"I don't know what the problem is between you two," Professor Alder said sternly, opening a poke' ball "but if you don't find a constructive way to settle it, I will have Dirge drop you _both_ in the ocean."

The newly released Dirge advanced toward his quarry, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Hold on a sec," Helen said quickly, trying to buy time. "Hey, Zane, that Cyndaquil over there is yours, right?"

"You mean Wraith?" Zane asked, gesturing at the Cyndaquil as it came over to him. "Yeah, it is. So?"

"Wow," Helen commented in mock awe, "are you _really_ that stupid, or are you just acting?"

Zane growled and fumbled with Wraith's poke' ball, causing the Cyndaquil to disappear in a flash of light.

"_So,_" Helen continued, ignoring Zane, "let's have a Pokemon battle. When I win, I'll expect an apology for everything you've said."

"Okay," Zane replied angrily, preparing to open the poke' ball again, "let's do that. Right here, right now."

"Oh, no you don't" said Professor Alder, grabbing hold of Zane, and Helen and shoving them out the door. "If you're going to have a battle, have it outside."

As Zane and Helen walked off to find a suitable battleground, Professor Alder closed the lab door and breathed a sigh of relief. After about ten minutes of blissful quiet, however, he remembered that he'd forgotten to tell Zane something. Cursing his moment of stupidity under his breath, the professor left his lab and went off to find Zane once more.

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**A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter. Please let me know what you think. If you don't like it, please don't flame me; tell me how to improve it.**

**Also, thank you to Hollishawk for reviewing chapter 3, and Maypie Lord for reviewing chapter 2.**


	6. Commision

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated this for a while; I've been away. Anyway, on with the story!**

**Also, thanks to Cheetah Inferno for being the beta for this chapter. **

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon; it belongs to Nintendo, Game Freak, etc. All of the OCs and the Doren Region, however, are mine.

* * *

Zane stood on the rocky ground at the edge of the lake supporting New Pallet Town, surrounded by small trees. There was a breeze; he could feel it ruffling his hair, cooling his skin, and causing the useless lower portion of his jacket's left sleeve to dance. This dancing, in turn, brought his mind back to his jacket, and thinking about his jacket reminded him of just how itchy it was feeling around his neck. He started tugging at it with his hand, trying unsuccessfully to get a little relief from the itching. 

Helen stood about twenty feet away from him, watching her opponent with some amusement. "What's the matter?" she taunted playfully, breaking Zane's focus. "Getting a little hot under the collar?"

Zane turned to face her, desperately wishing he had some sort of snappy insult to fire back. Sadly, nothing came to him. "Let's just get this over with!" he shouted, disgusted with the badly clichéd statement, even as it left his lips.

"Alright, alright," Helen said in the tone one might use with an impatient five-year-old. "Just let me explain the rules first. It's very simple. We each send one Pokémon out to fight the other person's Pokémon. The winner is the one whose Pokémon knocks out the other person's Pokémon first. Do you think you can handle that?" she asked, mock concern dripping from her voice.

"Do I look like I'm five to you?" Zane snapped.

"Well-," Helen began.

"Don't answer that," Zane said quickly, guessing what Helen might say. "Let's just fight already!"

"Let's," Helen replied, taking a pokéball from her belt and tossing it into the air. "You're up, Spheal!"

Helen's pokéball opened, releasing a round, blue, furry Pokémon with two small fangs. Two small, useless-looking feet protruded from its white underbelly.

"Spheeeeeeal!" the Pokémon cried, tucking its legs in and rolling in a circle.

Zane laughed. "If that's all you've got, I'll have you beaten before you know it!" he yelled, drawing his own pokéball from his pocket and opening it quickly. "Wraith, go!" The Cyndaquil appeared in a flash of light, looked at its opponent, and shrugged. Semi-transparent blue flames erupted from its back, making the already insubstantial-looking Cyndaquil appear ethereal.

"I'll let you have the first move, Zane," Helen said confidently. "If you know anything about battling, use it." She crossed her arms. "Surprise me. Or at least, try to surprise me."

Zane snarled and scratched his head. He knew more about battling than she gave him credit for; he was sure of it. After all, he'd seen trainers battle with their Pokemon in exhibitions back home in Olivine City. Some of them had used fire types, just like Wraith. Now if he could just remember what those trainers told their Pokémon to do…

Suddenly, a thought popped into Zane's head. He nearly slapped himself. _Of course_, he thought, _every fire Pokemon knows this_ _move! Why didn't I think of it before?_ Zane stopped scratching his head and issued his command."Wraith, use Flamethrower!"

Wraith turned his head to stare at his trainer in confusion.

"Come on," Zane coaxed, "use Flamethrower!"

Wraith kept staring.

Zane's eyes widened. "You don't know it? Okay, then," he said eagerly, "let's try something else."

The Cyndaquil shrugged and spun to face its opponent.

Zane took a deep breath and issued another command. "Okay, Wraith, use Fire Blast!"

Wraith eyed his trainer with a second confused look.

"You don't know that one either?" Zane asked, crestfallen. "Darn, what do you know?"

Helen glared at Zane. She couldn't even force herself to laugh at something this pathetic, and she was getting sick of waiting. She'd just have to turn his attention back to the battle.

"Spheal, use Powder snow," she whispered.

Spheal took a in a deep breath, causing its stomach to swell. It held the breath in for an instant, then leaned forward and blew a flurry of brilliant blue snowflakes out of its mouth, which shot toward Wraith.

"Hey Wraith," Helen hollered, just a second too late. "Look out!"

The Cyndaquil turned around just in time to be knocked on its back by the fast-moving snowflakes. With machinelike deliberation, it rolled back onto its feet and shook itself, sending small, half-melted snowflakes flying from its fur.

"Hey!" Zane yelled. "I haven't attacked yet!"

"So you expect me to sit here while you rattle off a bunch of moves your Cyndaquil doesn't even know?" Helen said in an irritated voice. "Not gonna happen. Try 'Tackle' this time, Zane!"

"Okay, I will!" Zane shouted, starting to get annoyed himself. "Use Tackle, Wraith!"

Much to Zane's relief, Wraith didn't turn around to stare at him in confusion. This time, the Cyndaquil lowered its head and charged straight at Spheal. At about ten feet before colliding with its opponent, Wraith curled into a ball and began to advance even faster.

Helen's lips curled into a smirk. "Dodge it, Spheal!" she ordered.

The seal-like Pokémon curled into a ball, similarly to Wraith, and rocked its body to the right, causing Wraith to fly right past it. The Cyndaquil, however, made a prompt U-turn and slammed into Spheal's stomach just after it had unrolled itself, causing the Clap Pokémon to roll several feet back. Spheal gave a cry of pain as it flew backwards, landing on the hard ground.

"That was awesome, Wraith!" Zane shouted, exulting in his small victory. "Hit it again!" He turned to Helen, a smug look in his eyes. "Not so cocky now, are you?"

Helen flashed a smug smile back as Wraith charged, trying to hide her shock. Spheal's stomach had looked badly bruised, and it wore a pained expression on its face. No Cyndaquil should have been able to hit that hard. Most shouldn't have been able to make the U-turn Wraith had. Helen grinned. Maybe Zane was clueless, but his Pokemon was still a possible threat. It was time to finish this.

"Spheal, no more holding back!" Helen commanded. "Use Water Gun!"

Spheal grit its teeth and sucked in another deep breath, immediately releasing a powerful jet of water. The jet slammed straight into Wraith, soaking it and knocking it backwards, causing it to roll out of control and crash into a small boulder with incredible force. A trickle of blood oozed out from the Cyndaquil's right leg, just above the knee.

A worried expression crossed Zane's face. "Wraith!" he yelled. "Come on, Wraith, don't give up now!"

Almost as if hearing its name had given it strength, Wraith forced itself to its feet with a quiet, "cynda."

"That's it, Wraith!" Zane said, hoping to encourage his weary Pokémon. "Come on, try Tackle one more time!"

Wraith nodded and ran at Spheal, ignoring the pain in its leg. It closed the distance with amazing velocity for a Pokémon, what with its wounds. In three seconds it had cleared three feet… Seven feet… Twelve feet…

Zane and Helen watched in amazement as Wraith continued to charge Spheal, gaining speed by the moment. Despite its wounded leg, Wraith was almost within striking distance. The determined little Cyndaquil ran up to Spheal, the fire on its back flaring ever higher.

"Spheal, dodge-" began Helen, but her command was unneeded.

Wraith, exhausted from its wounds and effort, collapsed on the ground as the flames on its back flickered and died.

* * *

"Again," Helen prompted cheerfully, poking Zane lightly in the back as he clumsily bandaged Wraith's leg. 

"No way." Zane said, not trying to hide his annoyance. "I agreed to apologize to you once , not three times a minute."

"You agreed to apologize if I won," Helen persisted, "but no one ever said you only had to apologize once. Now say it again."

Zane growled. "I'm sorry," he snapped insincerely.

"Once more," Helen directed, "with feeling."

Zane sighed. After about fifteen minutes, Helen still wouldn't stop forcing him to apologize for his attitude back at Professor Alder's lab. Telling her to shut up wouldn't work (he had tried that several times already), and it was very hard to tune her out. He'd never get Wraith's leg fixed up, let alone getting the Cyndaquil conscious, if he didn't get her to stop bothering him.

Zane sighed and turned to face her. "I'm sorry for acting like a jerk, okay?"

"Good." Helen said. "Now, once more, and really grovel this time."

"Don't push your luck!" Zane snapped. "And stop gloating! It's getting annoying."

"Gloating?" Helen asked, feigning innocence. "I'm not gloating. I'm just asking you to apologize."

"The way you're doing it, you might as well be gloating." Zane muttered, turning his attention back to his unconscious Pokémon. "Now just leave me alone and let me fix-"

"Zane!" came a hollow-sounding voice. "I'm glad I caught you. I was worried you'd left."

Zane looked up to see Professor Alder walking over to him, carrying a small silver box.

"Funny," Zane said, turning back to Wraith, "I thought you'd be glad if I left, Frank- err, Professor… Wait, why would I be leaving?"

"Well," the professor said, coming to stand behind Zane, "it's obvious that that Cyndaquil of yours needs to be toughened up, and you won't find any opponents in New Pallet Town-"

"Other than me," Helen interrupted.

"Other than Helen," Professor Alder amended, "so I figured that you'd want to leave. After all, you'll never be much of a Pokémon trainer if you just sit here."

"Quillllllll," whispered Wraith, who had just woken up. The small Cyndaquil turned its head and stared at Zane expressionlessly. Zane picked Wraith up and turned to face Professor Alder.

"Well, where am I gonna train Wraith?" he asked. "It can't stand up to much punishment. It only took Spheal two hits to knock it out."

"That's because Spheal has an element advantage over Cyndaquil," Helen explained, speaking once again in a tone that one might use when speaking with a five-year-old. "Most Poké-"

"Stop using that tone!" Zane snarled. "And what's an 'element advantage' anyway?"

"Alright," Helen said insincerely, just barely changing her tone. "What I was going to say was that not all Pokémon have element advantages over Cyndaquil. To clarify, an element advantage is when one Pokemon has an advantage over another because of their elements. Water Pokémon, like Spheal, have an advantage over fire Pokémon, like Wraith here. Fire Pokémon have an advantage over grass Pokémon, and so on. Get the picture?"

"Of course I do!" Zane lied. "I just needed someone to refresh my memory." In reality, Zane had never understood what an element advantage was. He had heard the trainers in Olivine talk about them before, but he had never known what they meant until now.

"Glad to help," replied Helen, once more adopting her talking-to-a-five-year-old voice. "Now what do we say…?"

Zane sighed. "Thanks," he muttered. "Now stop treating me like I'm five."

"Now, then, back to my request," interrupted Professor Alder. "If you want to train Wraith to be stronger, you'll have to leave New Pallet Town and travel throughout Doren. If you're going to do that, there's something I'd like you to do for me."

"Then stop beating around the bush and get to it," Zane said. "What do you want me to do?"

"Well," the professor began, as though speaking to a lab assistant, "Doren appears to be a large region, and I have no idea what sort of Pokemon live here. I'd be very appreciative if you were to travel around Doren and document the sorts of Pokemon that you meet. It would be a massive help to my research."

Zane quickly caught on to the tone in the professor's voice. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"I knew you'd see it my way," Professor Alder said, putting the box he was carrying down on the ground and opening it up. "Don't worry," he added, seeing a worried expression cross Zane's face, "it's not as though you'll have to wander around with just a sketchbook. I've managed to find something much more practical."

Professor Alder reached into his silver box and pulled out what appeared to be a small, red cell phone with a pokéball inscribed on the front. He opened the device and handed it to Zane, who struggled to hold both Wraith and the device in his arm. Zane finally gave up on it and, giving Wraith a pat, returned him to his pokéball.

"This," he said to Zane, "is a PokéAPT."

"A PokéAPT?" Zane echoed.

"That's pronounced 'poh-KEPT'," Helen corrected. "It stands for Pokémon All-Purpose Tool. A simple acronym for a simple mind," she finished, patting Zane on the shoulder much as she would a dog.

Zane ignored her. By now he had figured out that there was nothing he could say that would make Helen stop talking. Besides, he was more interested in examining the PokéAPT at the moment. The small device appeared to be structured almost exactly like a cell phone, with a screen on the top part and a small keypad on the lower part. The screen currently displayed an image of a pokéball on a jet black surface, along with some white text at the bottom that read, "no Pokémon selected."

"The PokéAPT has two major uses," Professor Alder explained. "I'll need you to use it to identify Pokémon, but it can also be used to send messages."

"How does that work?" Zane asked, intrigued.

Professor Alder shrugged. "Basically, it works just like e-mail. I wouldn't get too attached to it, though. We've been able to set up a digital messaging network for PokéAPTs, but it's sketchy and unreliable at best. The best way to send a message is to send it out to everyone and hope that the right person gets it."

"All right," Zane said. "So you want me to go out and use this thing to find out what sort of Pokémon live here. Okay. That sounds simple enough. Where do I go now?"

"A good place to start looking would be Jade City, to the east," Professor Alder suggested. "There's a gym there where you can toughen Wraith up. I can lend you some supplies to get you there in one piece."

"All right," Zane said, hoping to sound a lot more certain than he was. "Let's go pack. Looks like I've got a long trip ahead of me."

* * *

Zane stood on the rocky ground, almost exactly where he had stood when he battled Helen, hitting his head with his hand. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed this road earlier. It was practically calling for someone to travel it. Maybe I didn't notice it because I wasn't thinking about it, he rationalized. Satisfied with his own explanation, Zane shifted his backpack and started walking. 

"Hey! Wait for me!" Helen's voice sounded through the air like a high-pitched, not necessarily welcome flute as she ran towards Zane, her own backpack swaying on her back as she moved.

Zane turned to face her, laughing and shaking his head. "Are you still planning on coming? I figured that after what Professor Alder said, you'd be dead-set on staying here."

Helen shrugged. "No way! Do you know how long it's been since anything exciting happened here? Besides, just because I have to give you some respect doesn't mean I can't laugh from the sidelines when you screw up."

"Shut up."

"'Shut up'? Is that the only comeback you have?"

"Shut up!"

"Okay, okay," Helen said playfully. "Just remember that what the professor said about respect works both ways. You have to be nice to me, too. Now, let's get going, shall we?"

As the two walked off on the road to Jade City, Zane was dealing with mixed emotions. Part of him was exuberant; here he was, starting the life he had always wanted to live, but had never been allowed to. How could he not be happy?

At the same time, part of him was groaning. Here he was, far from home, slogging across a continent no one knew existed on an errand for a surly researcher. And on top of that, he had to do it while putting up with a girl who annoyed him as much as he annoyed her.

This was going to be a long trip.

* * *


	7. Eclipse

**A/N: Sorry 'bout the wait; there were a few kinks to work out. Thanks once again to Cheetah Inferno for not only doing the beta, but helping me work out some of said kinks.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; it belongs to Nintendo, Gamefreak, etc. All of the OCs and the Doren region, however, are mine.**

* * *

"You should have taken care of this before we left!" Helen scolded.

"I didn't think of it back then," Zane said defensively.

Helen crossed her arms. "You would have saved us both a lot of aggravation."

"Just shut up and help me, would you?"

"No way! Do it yourself."

"Why should I?"

"So that you actually learn something," Helen responded. "This way, maybe you'll remember to double-check your supplies _before_ we leave town, not out in the middle of the road!"

"Fine, fine," Zane grumbled, "I'll check my bag myself."

Zane knelt down, set his backpack on the rocky ground and opened it up. He immediately cursed his haste in packing; the inside of his backpack was a jumbled mess. Making sure he had everything would take a while, even if he had two arms to work with.

"Wraith, give me a hand, would ya?" Zane said, opening the Pokeball fastened to his belt while gesturing at his backpack. The small Cyndaquil, after appearing, walked swiftly over to Zane's backpack and stuck its head in the open compartment.

"No, that's not what I meant," Zane corrected, laughing a little as Wraith began to flail his small, stubby arms and legs wildly. "Just get stuff out of the backpack and bring it over to me so I can see what we have."

A soft cry of "Cyndaquil," so soft Zane thought he might have imagined it, emitted from his backpack, and Wraith ran back over to him, holding a Pokeball in its hands. The Cyndaquil set the Pokeball down and panted a little, though it still stood unnervingly still.

"Okay," Zane said, wondering just how much help Wraith was going to be. "That's one Pokeball. What else have we got?"

"You might want to keep that Pokeball out, Zane," Helen advised, kneeling down beside him.

"Huh? Why shou-"

"Look!" Helen interrupted, putting her hand over Zane's mouth and forcing his gaze toward the grass in front of them.

About ten feet away from where Zane and Helen were kneeling, a long, purple, snakelike Pokemon had slithered out of the grass to drink from a small pool. It had a yellow rattle on its tail and a slightly lighter yellow band around its neck. Its cold, lidless eyes scanned the area as it sipped water from the pool.

"All right," Zane said, keeping his voice low to avoid disturbing the Pokemon. "So, I'm supposed to catch it, right?"

"That would be the idea," Helen responded.

"So I just throw the Pokeball at it, and I'm done, right?" Zane asked.

"Actually," Helen corrected, "you need to weaken it first. Get Wraith to wear it down, _then_ throw the Pokeball, and hope you get-"

A sharp cry of "Ekansss!" split the air, as the snakelike Pokemon suddenly caught sight of Zane, Helen, and Wraith. It raised its head and began to slither towards them.

"Wraith, tackle it!" Zane commanded, backing up to maintain distance between himself and the Ekans.

Wraith rolled into a ball and rolled quickly towards the Ekans, slamming hard into the base of its body. The Ekans winced in pain and retreated a few inches before launching a spray of clear liquid from its mouth. The acid landed on Wraith, who winced as small parts of its fur turned black.

"Keep tackling it, Wraith!" Zane encouraged.

Wraith nodded and charged the Ekans again, rolling into a ball as it closed in. Once within striking distance, Wraith jumped, using its momentum to launch it up to Ekans' eye level. From there, Wrath planted its feet on Ekans' head, jumped again, curled into a ball, and slammed its small body into the snake Pokemon's face, landing right between the eyes.

The Ekans cried out in pain and nearly planted its face in the ground. Zane grinned. One more tackle, and the Pokemon would probably faint. Then it was his for the taking!

"Wraith, one more-" Zane suddenly stopped. "Helen, what are you doing?"

Helen had taken an empty Pokeball from her belt and raised it over her head.

"Sorry, Zane. Opportunity knocked." Helen said playfully. With a swift, fluid motion, she flung the Pokeball straight at the Ekans's neck.

The Pokeball hit the Ekans just as Wraith was about to attempt another tackle, causing the confused Cyndaquil to roll dangerously close to the pond where the Ekans had been drinking earlier. The Pokeball wiggled for a second, as though the Ekans was still struggling to get out, and then came to a stop with a loud _click_.

"Hey!" Zane said angrily. "You stole my Ekans!"

"It wasn't yours," Helen said factually, "so it's not technically 'stealing'."

"That doesn't matter!" Zane persisted, walking over to Wraith and picking the Cyndaquil up. "You didn't do any work for that Ekans; you just waltzed in and took it!"

"You were going to knock it out," Helen replied, as though that statement explained everything.

"So?" Zane challenged.

"So," Helen explained, "you don't throw Pokeballs at a knocked out Pokemon. It's just not fair to them."

"Oh, you're one to talk about-" Zane began, but something caught his eye. "Helen, Pokeballs don't float, do they?"

"Of course not," Helen answered. "Why are you ask… what the…?"

Helen turned her gaze to stare at the Pokeball she had thrown. To her surprise, it was no longer on the ground.

"All right, Zane, what did you do with it?" Helen asked sternly.

"Nothing," Zane replied. "Look up a little!"

Helen lifted her eyes slightly and slugged herself in the arm to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Her Pokeball was about twelve feet away now, floating in midair. It paused for a second, as though it was thinking, then began to float away quickly.

"Hey!" Helen shouted. "Come back with that!"

The Pokeball stopped and turned around as the air around it warped and began to turn jet black. The blackness quickly assumed the form of a man. He was wearing a jet-black uniform consisting of leather boots and gloves, and a shirt and pants that appeared to be covered with plates of armor. A black, featureless mask obscured his face, while a large black hood covered the back of his head and neck. On the chest plate of his armor-like shirt was a symbol of a hollow white circle, the inside of which seemed blacker than his uniform.

"I'm sorry," said the man, his voice deep, "but this Pokeball and its contents are now the property of Team Eclipse. Now run along, there's nothing more to see here," he added, waving his hand dismissively.

"I don't think so!" Zane said. "That Ekans is mine!"

"Actually," Helen corrected, "it's mine."

"Well, whatever." Zane said. "We're still not gonna let you take it!"

The black-clothed man laughed cruelly. "How typical. We'll do this the hard way, then." He removed a plate of armor from his left arm, revealing a single Pokeball resting on a strap around his arm. He removed the Pokeball from its resting place and tossed it into the air.

"Go, Nidoran!"

The Pokeball opened in a flash of light, revealing a small pink Pokemon with large ears and a prominent horn protruding from its forehead.

"Doraaan!" the Pokemon snarled, lowering its head at Zane and scratching the ground, as though it planned to charge.

Zane set down Wraith and stepped back. "Go get 'em, Wraith!" The Cyndaquil nodded and stepped forward, answering Nidoran's growl with a quiet "Quil."

The black-clothed man looked down at Wraith and paused. For a long moment he just stood there, staring at the small silver and white Cyndaquil and the blue flames spouting from its back. Seeing his distraction, Zane decided to make the first move.

"Wraith, tackle!"

Wraith curled into a ball and rolled into the Nidoran, pounding it hard in the side. Nidoran didn't as much as flinch; it was completely frozen, waiting for orders.

The black-clothed man laughed. "Well, well, we think we're tricky, do we? Nidoran, focus energy!"

Nidoran closed its eyes and flexed a little. Every muscle in the Pokemon's body grew noticeably tenser, as though it was a coiled-up spring that someone was holding down.

Zane laughed, largely out of nervousness. "That's it? Pathetic. Wraith, use tackle again, and hit 'em hard this time!"

Once again, Wraith curled into a ball. The little Cyndaquil rolled up to Nidoran, circled it a few times to get momentum, and then slammed into its back, causing it to stumble and fall. Wraith uncurled itself and stood, swaying slightly, to face its now prone opponent.

"Good job, Wraith!" Zane called. "Hit 'em again, while he's down!"

Wraith nodded and ran towards the Nidoran, who was breathing heavily.

"Now, Nidoran! Double kick!" called the black-clothed man.

Just as Wraith closed in on Nidoran, the Pokemon flipped itself over and slammed its feet into Wraith. First the front feet, then the back feet collided with the Cyndaquil's body, driving it into the dirt. After a painfully long second, Wraith coughed, and then rose shakily to its feet.

"Wraith!" Zane called. "Are you okay?"

The Cyndaquil nodded and gave a harsh "Quil" in response.

"Good," Zane continued. "Can you do one more tackle?"

Wraith nodded again.

"Then do it!"

With a quiet "Quil", Wraith forced itself forward, running towards Nidoran for all it was worth. The black-clothed man chuckled.

"Nidoran, double kick again!" he commanded.

"Wraith, dodge!" Zane cried hurriedly, hoping that his Cyndaquil would hear him.

With a cry, Nidoran launched two powerful kicks from its back legs. Wraith was ready this time, however. The Cyndaquil rolled away from the attacks with almost unnatural speed, and then slammed into the side of Nidoran's head... Hard.

The black-clothed man cursed as his Nidoran fell limply to the ground. Taking the Pokeball with Ekans in it, he threw it at Helen's feet.

"Very well," the black-clothed man spat, "take your Ekans. It's not the only one around here, I suppose." His masked face turned to Zane.

"We'll be watching you," he snarled as he disappeared into the air he had come from.

Zane stood and stared at where the man had been standing, completely ignoring Wraith, who had fallen over on the spot once the man had left.

"Who was that?" Zane wondered aloud. "And what did that stuff he said about 'Team Eclipse', or whatever, mean?"

"No clue," Helen answered, "but at least he's gone. Anyway, shouldn't you be worrying about Wraith?"

"Right," Zane said, walking over to his Cyndaquil. Kneeling down beside Wraith, he began looking for areas where the Cyndaquil had been hurt. Wraith, feeling his hand on its fur, looked up at him.

"Cynda, Cyndaquil," it whispered, almost apologetically.

"Shut up," Zane said in as friendly a way as it is possible to say 'shut up'. "Just relax for a little and I'll fix you up."

"So I guess we'll be here a while?" Helen asked.

"Probably," Zane answered. "Now give me a hand, will you?"

Helen smiled. For once, she actually felt like helping Zane out.

"Okay," she said in her usual, playful tone, "but just this once."

* * *

The black-clothed man, exhausted from running, stumbled into a large metal-walled lab. The room's walls were completely bare, and the only clutter in the room was a stack of papers that had fallen off the lone desk centered in the back of the room. All around the room were lab machines, busily computing important data. Flickering light bulbs lodged in the ceiling flooded the room with a dim, haunting blue light. 

A man with dark brown hair, a dull gray lab coat, and black gloves stood with his back to the entrance and the black-cloaked man who had just barged in. Though his face was not visible, he radiated an aura of impatience and cruelty.

The black-clothed man shuddered beneath his uniform. He could only hope the doctor was in a good mood today.

"Well, don't just stand there," said the man in the lab coat. "Report, peon."

"W-well, D-d-doctor Sacrypt-" the Eclipse peon stuttered.

"Stop stuttering and _report_ ," Doctor Sacrypt snarled, still not bothering to turn and face the peon he was addressing. "Do you have the Pokemon I told you to bring or not?"

"I'm afraid not, sir," said the Eclipse peon, doing everything he could to keep from stuttering, "but I do have some news…"

"Then OUT WITH IT!" Sacrypt shouted. Despite the anger obvious in his voice, the Doctor's body remained incredibly relaxed.

"I-it appears, sir, that the one of the Necros rejects has survived," the Eclipse peon stammered.

Sacrypt's voice dropped to almost a whisper. "Are you absolutely certain of this, peon?"

"Y-y-yes, sir," came the reply.

"Very well," Sacrypt said, his voice returning to its normal pitch, which was something akin to the sound of water dripping in a cave. "This is unexpected, but we will find a way around it. The superior will not be pleased, but I believe I can convince her that this is to our advantage." Sacrypt turned to face the peon. The sunglasses covering his eyes appeared to be pools of utter darkness in the lab's dim light.

"And as for you…" Sacrypt said calmly, gesturing towards the left side of the room.

Quicker than the Eclipse peon could move, a two-foot-long shard of ice shot from the top right corner of the room and embedded itself in his heart. A savage-looking Dewgong, barely visible in the room's dim, flickering light, worked its way out of the corner to stand beside Sacrypt.

"Gong" it growled menacingly.

The Eclipse peon was dead before he hit the floor.

Doctor Sacrypt gazed at the corpse lying at his feet and finished his thought.

"... you will no longer be reporting to me."

* * *


	8. Assessment

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; it belongs to Nintendo, Gamefreak, etc. All of the OCs and the Doren region, however, are mine.**

* * *

"So, how long until we get to Jade City?" Zane asked, biting into a sandwich.

"I don't know," Helen admitted. "To be honest, I've never been quite this far from New Pallet Town. It depends on several factors, though."

"Like what?" Zane asked.

"Like how long we sit here waiting for you finish eating," Helen teased.

"Well, whatever," Zane replied, taking his PokeAPT out of his pocket. "Can we wait a little longer? I want to see how this thing works."

"You didn't test it before we left?" Helen asked, somewhat amazed that Zane could be so unprepared. "Zane, does preparation scare you?"

"No," Zane answered quickly. "This is just another thing I didn't think of before. Besides, we're not in a hurry, right? It's not like we have a tight schedule to work with."

"I don't know," Helen mused. "Since we were attacked, and that Eclipse guy said something about how 'they'-"

"Whoever 'they' are," Zane interrupted.

"Well, whoever 'they' are," Helen continued, "that Eclipse guy said that they'd be watching us, so I think it's a good idea to get to Jade City fast."

"So I'll make this quick," Zane said, flipping his PokeAPT open and standing up. "Hey Wraith, could you get over here?"

Wraith, who had been sitting on a nearby rock, stood up and walked obediently over to Zane.

"Good. Now stay there," Zane said, pressing a clearly marked "scan" button on his PokeAPT.

The Pokeball inscription on the front of the PokeAPT flashed blue, and a second later, a picture of Wraith appeared on the PokeAPT's black, grid-patterned screen. Next to the Cyndaquil's picture was a bright blue box with yellow letters that read:

_Subject: Wraith_

_Species: Cyndaquil_

_Gender: Male_

_Height: 1' 06"_

_Weight: 13.1 lbs._

_Power rating: lv. 5_

_Attack rating: 16_

_Sp. Attack rating: 17_

_Defense rating: 5_

_Sp. Defense rating: 7_

_Speed rating: 14_

_Current/maximum stamina rating: 11/13_

"Well," remarked Helen, who had moved behind Zane to read over his shoulder, "this explains it."

"Explains what?" Zane asked. "And what the heck do all these numbers mean, anyway?"

"Let me explain," Helen began. "First off, the numbers represent Wraith's ability to attack and defend, as well as his speed and how many hits he can take. What's interesting is that Wraith's offensive stats and speed are a lot higher than they should be, considering his experience. When it comes to defense and stamina, though," Helen said playfully, "I'm afraid little Wraith is a train wreck. Anyway," she said, resuming a more scholarly tone, "that explains why Wraith's battles are so short."

"So you're saying that Wraith has a lot to work with?" Zane asked.

"Basically, yes," Helen answered. "The trick is keeping him conscious long enough to use it."

"Okay," Zane said, storing his PokeAPT. "Let's get going. Come on, Wraith," he added, picking up Wraith's Pokeball and returning the Cyndaquil.

"Aren't you gonna finish eating?" Helen asked.

"Nah," Zane replied, "I don't feel that hungry."

"Fair enough," Helen warned playfully, "but if you're whining about being hungry later, I'm just gonna laugh."

"How many times do I have to tell you to shut up?" Zane snapped, as the two trainers continued along the road to Jade City, bickering as always.

* * *

Team Eclipse's newest recruits stood in a straight, well-organized line in the well-lit stone room, unmoving despite the fear quaking in each of their hearts. For some, the emotion was almost unbearable, but they held themselves together, knowing that if they were to show their fear, they would surely be sent to their deaths. They stood still as statues, all eyes turned towards the woman who had just entered and was now standing in the front entrance of the room.

The woman who was striking fear into the recruit's hearts was of average height and wore a different uniform than most members of Team Eclipse. Rather than being formed into plates, the armor covering her black uniform was skeletal, making it appear that she had been encased in a giant ribcage. A cape that bore a distinct resemblance to a pair of battered wings hung from her shoulders. A large hood bearing an emblem of a hollow white circle with a jet black core obscured her entire face. The only parts of her that were visible were the locks of her navy-colored hair, which hung out from under her hood like a Seviper's fangs.

The recruits shuddered. Any moment now, their superior would step into the room and pronounce her judgment on each of them. Those who had shown promise during training were beginning to breathe deeply; though their superior's presence had caused them fear, they were coming back to their senses. They had proven themselves competent. She would welcome them into the team. Those who had been unsure of themselves to begin with began to shudder violently beneath their armor; Team Eclipse's leader was not one to show mercy.

The woman walked through the doorway and along the line in front of her new recruits. The first person she came to was a man who stood about six feet tall. He was visibly fearful, a trait the woman detested. Still, she reminded herself, he had proven to be a skillful medic. There was a place for him.

"You've made it," she said without bothering to look at him. Her voice rang with the harsh sound of a rock hitting a steel wall. "Report to the medical wing once the ceremony is done."

The man dropped immediately to one knee, bowing his head. "Thank you, Lucre-"

Lucrecia raised her leg into the air and slammed it into the man's armored back, right between his shoulders. The man tried desperately to stay on his knee, knowing that even worse punishment would await him should he fall.

"I will _not_, however, tolerate groveling," she said, projecting her voice so that all the recruits could hear. "In the future," she snarled, still not looking at her newest peon, "you will address me with respect."

"Yes, ma'am," replied the man, in a voice full of obvious pain.

Lucrecia left the new peon on the ground and continued down the line. The next person she came to was a girl, no older than eighteen. Alone of all the recruits, she had removed her hood and mask. Her curly brown hair clung to her sweat-drenched face, and she was breathing heavily.

Beneath her hood, Lucrecia's lips curled into a scowl. This girl had proven herself worthless. She had struggled throughout her entire training just to keep up with her fellow recruits. The only thing she was truly proficient in was intimidation, and even then, there were many who were better. Still, she would not be turned away. Even the weak had their uses…

"You," she said, perfectly masking her sadistic pleasure, "will work under Doctor Sacrypt. Report to his lab after the ceremony."

The girl looked at her superior pleadingly; silently begging her to say this was some cruel joke. Lucrecia didn't bother to even look in her direction. This girl had failed; she would pay for it. Sacrypt always had dangerous, possibly lethal, devices that needed testing, and the girl would be the lab rat.

"No!" came an anguished male voice from somewhere farther down the line.

The girl's head snapped to attention. Lucrecia walked down the line to the speaker, who had stepped out in front of the line in his outburst.

"What was that?" she asked, poison dripping from her harsh voice.

The recruit suddenly lost his composure.

"M-m-ma'am, Superior," he stuttered, falling to his knees, "p-please re-re-reconsi-"

From beneath her hood, Lucrecia's sunken eyes looked down at the recruit in contempt.

"You," she said, as though there had been no interruption, "will build the machinery used in Doctor Sacrypt's research. You will do your job to the best of your ability."

Though the man's mask hid his facial expression, Lucrecia could guess it well enough. It was clear from the man's outburst that he loved the girl she had condemned. She could think of no better punishment for his outburst than being forced to hurt her. Lucrecia walked back to her previous location in front of the line, ignoring the recruit's pleas for mercy and the girl's uncontrolled sobs. She had just reached her place and was about to resume the ceremony when an empty voice, somewhat akin to the sound of water dripping in a cave, sounded from the room's front entrance.

"Superior," Doctor Sacrypt said, courteously, "may I speak with you for a moment… alone?"

The recruits shuddered at the sound of Sacrypt's voice. Lucrecia, slightly annoyed at the interruption, turned her head to the scientist standing in the doorway.

"Very well," she replied coldly. "Do not move," she ordered the recruits as she walked out of the room. Once confident that her recruits were out of earshot, she turned to Sacrypt.

"This had better be important," she warned.

"I assure you, it is." Sacrypt replied, his voice calm and cold. "One of my former peons has informed me that the last Necros reject has survived."

Lucrecia removed her hood, shook her head to straighten her short, navy blue hair, and glared at Sacrypt. There was little point in trying to scare the scientist; Sacrypt had seen far more unsettling sights than her face, despite the sunken eyes that glowed with a sickly blue light, the scars that seemed almost like steps carved into the bridge of her nose. However, the news Sacrypt had brought was certainly not good, and there was little else Lucrecia could think of doing to the scientist. His input was valuable; it would be foolhardy to anger him.

"And why did you bother me with this?" she asked. "This is your failing; kill the reject and be done with it."

"I believe I have a better solution, ma'am," Sacrypt began.

"Go on, then," Lucrecia ordered.

"Simply send out recruits to try and recapture our reject," Sacrypt suggested, being careful to keep his tone respectful. "Those who fail to capture it, we kill, thereby eliminating the weak from our ranks. Should we recapture the reject, we can retrain it and put it into our service." Sacrypt adjusted his sunglasses thoughtfully. "If the reject has indeed survived, perhaps it's not as weak as I believed. It may be useful to us."

"And assuming no one can capture it?" Lucrecia questioned.

"Then I will step in and finish the job myself," Sacrypt replied confidently.

Lucrecia turned her back to Sacrypt, a stern look on her face. "Your plan will thin our ranks dramatically. How can you expect me to even consider it?"

Sacrypt adjusted his glasses again, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"How many of them do you really think you can take with you, Lucrecia?"

Lucrecia's shoulders sagged slightly; Sacrypt had a point.

"Very well, then. Send the peons," she said in a voice that, while still harsh, seemed almost resigned. "Just remember, Sacrypt: if this fails, the consequences will fall on_ your_ head."

Sacrypt nodded and breathed an internal sigh of relief. Most people who questioned Lucrecia didn't get off so easily. "Of course, ma'am," he said, bowing respectfully.

Lucrecia pulled her hood back over her head, obscuring her features once more, then turned to Sacrypt.

"I've assigned you two new peons, by the way."

A sadistic smile crept to Sacrypt's face.

"Thank you, Superior," he said, his voice a mockery of a child getting their first pet.

"Make sure they live for a while," Lucrecia ordered. "They need to learn the penalty of disobedience. One of them may be suicidal; I trust you can deal with that."

"Of course, Superior," Sacrypt replied.

Satisfied with her underling's response, Lucrecia turned to resume the ceremony. At the doorway, she paused.

"Oh, and Sacrypt?"

"Yes, Superior?" he answered.

"_Never_ question me again."

With that, Lucrecia walked out of the doorway and resumed her ceremony. Professor Sacrypt stood musing for a brief moment, then walked off through the dimly lit corridors of Team Eclipse's base, plotting how best to put his plan in motion.

* * *

**A/N: And that's it for this chapter. Please review! If you liked it, let me know! If not, tell me how to improve it!**

**Also, thanks again to Cheetah Inferno for doing the beta on this chapter.**


	9. Education

**A/N: To anyone who may be reading this fic, sorry for taking so long to update. I have been lazy about writing.**

**Thanks again to Cheetah Inferno for looking this over for massive typos before I post it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; it belongs to Nintendo, Gamefreak, etc. All the OCs and the Doren region, however, are mine.**

* * *

"Let's see…" Zane said, opening his PokeAPT and activating its pokedex function. "We've seen Ekans, Spearow, Zigzagoon…"

Zane sighed, closed his PokeAPT and pocketed it.

"How is it that we've been out here for three days and I _still_ haven't caught anything?" he wondered aloud.

"That's simple," responded Helen, who was walking briskly just ahead of him. "It's because you're disorganized."

"What does that have to do with it?" Zane asked.

"Once again, it's simple," Helen said. There was an edge of impatience in her voice, the sort one might expect from someone who has had to explain things that should be common knowledge for three days straight. "In the time it takes you to dig one pokeball out of your backpack, the Pokemon always run. That wouldn't happen if you would just get organized!"

"Let's just focus on the road," Zane said, trying to avoid a potential argument. Helen's answers had been getting less playful and more like scolding, and he assumed the problem was that he had been asking a few too many simple questions. The weather hadn't helped; it had been dark and rainy ever since they had left New Pallet Town. His mood wasn't wonderful either, and the last thing he needed was an argument.

"So," Zane continued as the two stepped into a large clearing, "are you sure this is the right way?"

Helen wheeled around, glaring. Zane gulped. _That _had been the wrong thing to say.

"No," Helen said, her voice steadily building up volume, "I don't know the way any better than you do. But at least I'm looking for the road instead of just trailing along, whining about everything!"

"Oh dear," came a cool, smooth, almost mocking voice from the edge of the clearing. "You're lost, are you?"

Zane looked up. Helen turned around. Standing in the corner of the clearing was a man, apparently in his mid twenties. He wore a denim jacket, jeans, and a white shirt. His caramel-colored hair was soaked and hanging in front of his face, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Yeah, we're lost," Zane said, still a little shaken from Helen's outburst. "Could you point us toward Jade City?"

The man put his hand on his forehead and started to laugh. "Surely you're joking."

"No, I'm not," Zane snarled. "Now tell us which way to go!"

"For a couple with no internal compass," the man said (grinning when Zane and Helen grimaced at the word "couple"), "you've done very well. You're just outside Jade City. Just walk across this grove and you're there."

"I suppose that makes me your welcoming committee," he added, extending his hand. "The name's Curtis."

"I'm Zane, and that's Helen," Zane said, returning the formality.

"Charmed, I'm sure," Curtis said politely. "Now then, I suppose you'd like to see the city?"

"Sure," Helen said, having recovered from her outburst.

"Especially if it means somewhere dry to rest," Zane added.

"Then what are you doing standing there?" Curtis asked. "Let's go."

Curtis turned around and began walking off, while Zane and Helen followed quickly behind. They walked across the clearing, through a thin trail on the other side and emerged in a larger field of grass with houses made of logs, small ship pieces, and other salvage arranged in a ripple-like pattern. In the center of the arrangement was the largest of the buildings, about the size of a large convenience store. The streets were quiet, and if it hadn't been for the lights in the windows and the noise coming from several houses, it would have appeared that no one lived there.

"You call this a city?" Zane blurted, unimpressed.

Helen whacked him in the back of the head. "Zane," she whispered, "shut up!"

Curtis laughed. "For this part of Doren, it's as close as you'll get. Anyway, let's get you two out of the rain."

* * *

Zane threw off his wool sweater with relief. Until Curtis had taken him and Helen inside his house, he hadn't really thought of it too much. Once inside, however, he had quickly realized just how cold and wet it had become. That, along with the fact that it was still itchy, was enough to get him to hang it by the fire. His black shirt was drenched as well, but that was easier to deal with. At least it didn't itch.

"So," Curtis asked, "just what did you two come here for?"

"I heard there was a gym here," Zane said, "so I came to train."

"Interesting," Curtis mused. "And what about you, Helen?"

"No real reason," Helen shrugged playfully. She had already dried off, and it had helped her mood immensely. "I'm just along for the ride."

"Always an interesting experience," Curtis replied. He then turned his attention back to Zane. "So, you plan on challenging the Gym Leader?"

"Wait, what do you mean 'challenging'?" Zane asked.

"Well," Curtis began, "The only real reason for trainers to visit a Pokemon gym is to challenge the gym's leader and claim a badge for their accomplishments. So, since you mentioned training at the gym, I figured that would be what you were planning on doing."

"I guess it is, then," Zane replied.

"You 'guess'?" Curtis asked. "It doesn't sound like you've thought this out."

"Yeah, Zane's like that," Helen affirmed. "He's just barely more organized than a shipwreck."

"In any case, you'd best be prepared before you challenge the gym, Zane," Curtis warned. "The gym leader will rip you apart if you aren't."

"Don't worry about it," Zane said confidently. "I'm completely ready to take this guy."

"Prove it," Curtis said. There was a challenging gleam in his brown eyes. "Name the Pokemon in your party, along with their elements, strengths and weaknesses."

"Huh?" Zane asked, confused.

"I thought this would be a simple test," Curtis sighed. "Any trainer worthy of the title should know their Pokemon inside and out."

"Well," Zane said, pressured, "I've only got one Pokemon on my team-"

"You'd have more if you were organized," Helen teased cheerfully.

"Shut up," Zane growled. "Anyway, I've only got Wraith. He's a Cyndaquil, a fire-type, and… ummm…"

Zane paused for a long time. What exactly _were_ Wraith's strengths and weaknesses? The little Cyndaquil seemed to be pretty hard-hit by Helen's Spheal, but he'd done alright against everything else he'd fought. He also had what Helen had told him in New Pallet Town, so…

Zane smiled. He had the answer. He'd have to quote from the PokeAPT, but that would be alright.

"Wraith's strong against normal, flying, grass, and poison types, and he's weak to water and ice." Zane finished, smiling proudly. Behind him, Helen giggled to herself.

"I see," Curtis said, evidently thinking hard. "Let's see, how to put this… Zane, I'm afraid you're not ready yet."

"What?" Zane replied, crestfallen. "But I answered your question…"

"I don't know where you got your information," Curtis said bluntly, "but most of it is wrong. You need some education, badly. Lucky for you, I know just where you can get it."

"Well, where do I go, then?" Zane sighed.

"Just go to the library. It's the big building in the middle of town. There are a few books there that detail the finer aspects of training Pokemon. They'll tell you everything you need to know."

"Okay, fine," Zane said. "I'll give it a shot."

"Good," Curtis said approvingly. "While you're doing that, I'll go inform the Gym leader that he has a new challenger." With that, Curtis left his small house. Zane and Helen gathered their backpacks (Zane trying to hold on to his backpack and grab his sweater with one arm) and ran out into the rain, headed for the library.

* * *

Zane and Helen entered the library, shook themselves off, and looked around. The entryway in which they were standing had a tall bookshelf on either side, stuffed to the brim with weather-beaten books, most of which, Zane guessed, had somehow survived being in a shipwreck. The area ahead, like all the town's other buildings, was lit by torches. It would have come across as a very calm place, if not for the sudden shout from off to the right.

"Ivan! NO!" came a voice from past the right bookcase, the voice of someone who knows their efforts are futile, yet feels forced to try. The yell was quickly followed by the sound of colliding rocks, and a flurry of paper scraps blew out from beyond the bookcase. There was a loud sigh, and a boy with light brown hair, a dark brown t-shirt, a pair of olive-green pants, and a black book bag walked out from behind the bookcase. He took one look at Zane and Helen, and then groaned.

"_Please_ tell me you two aren't here to borrow Myths of Sinnoh," he said, his voice an exasperated mutter.

Zane, still stunned from the previous sight, was slow to respond.

"Uh…" he began, "Does that happen often?"

The brown-haired boy sighed again. "More often than you want to know. So, are you two just getting out of the rain, or did you come to borrow a book?"

"A little of both," Helen responded casually. "My clueless friend here," she continued, gesturing at Zane and grinning teasingly when he glared at her, "needs to read up on how the basics of training Pokemon, and I'm just here to stay dry."

The brown haired boy shrugged. "Fine by me. The books on Pokemon training are about four bookshelves down the left hall there. There's a table there where you can sit while you read. My name's Miles, by the way," he added. "If you need any help, just shout and I'll come work things out for you." He sighed ruefully. "I am the librarian, after all."

Miles turned around and began running for the right hallway. Just as he was about to turn the corner, he stopped and delivered one final message.

"Oh, by the way," he said hurriedly, "if you see an Unown, let me know."

With that, Miles ran off down the right hallway. Zane stood for a second, confused, and then went off to find the books he needed.

* * *

"I can't believe it!" Zane said, looking over one of the books he'd picked out to read.

"Can't believe what?" Helen said absentmindedly.

"According to this book, fire-types are weak to rock and ground-types, not just water-types," Zane said incredulously. "How was I supposed to know that?"

"Gee, I wonder... After all, it's not like it's common knowledge," Helen said sarcastically, staring at the ceiling.

Zane shot her an annoyed glance, which she ignored, and continued studying. Judging by everything he had read, there was a lot more to being a Pokemon trainer than just sending out a Pokemon and barking commands at it. The books he had read so far explained how to teach Pokemon strategic moves, diets for Pokemon, and even how a Pokemon's training regimen should be suited for its nature (a lengthy lecture which Zane had barely glanced at). The book he was reading right now described a complicated type match-up list. Though this was his third time going over it, Zane was still surprised at some of the matches.

Zane closed the book and stared at the pile he had left to read. _Curtis was right,_ he thought despairingly, _I do have a long way to go. Pokemon habitats, necessary equipment, Pokemon breeding… how am I ever going to learn all this, let alone keep it all strai-_

"Nown!"

Zane looked away from the pile of books to see an I-shaped Unown looking over his shoulder. Its eye was glaring, not at him, but at the books, as if they were some sort of prison. The Unown closed its eye as small rocks began to form around it.

"Nownnn…"

"No you don't!"

Zane stared, wide-eyed, as Miles ran up from out of the corner of his eye, jumped, and tackled the Unown as though it were an angry Croconaw. He grappled with it for a few seconds, then held it up, one hand on each of the Pokemon's sticklike ends, looked it in the eye, and started to scold it.

"How many times do I have to remind you, Ivan?" Miles asked the still struggling Pokemon. "Books don't hold trapped Unown!"

He turned his head to Zane, his face red with embarrassment. "Sorry about Ivan; it's an idiot."

"What was it doing, anyway?" Zane asked.

Miles sighed. "Ivan thinks that the letters in books are actually trapped Unown, and that if it destroys the books, it'll free the Unown that are 'trapped' inside," he explained.

"So your Unown habitually destroys books?" Helen asked, taking her attention away from the ceiling. "Why do you work in a library, then?"

"In case you can't tell from the book bag, I'm a bookworm," Miles said plainly. "I thought this would be the perfect job, since I've got nothing else to do. But all I have to do is put stickers on books and sort them. It's mind-numbingly boring."

"Then just quit," Zane suggested. "Tell whoever hired you that they've got to find someone else to work for them, and just leave."

"I'd love to," Miles replied, "but I need this job."

"How come?"

"Thanks to Ivan here," Miles said, glaring at the Unown as he returned it to a pokeball, "I'm up to my eyebrows in debt to the library. The guy who owns this place offered me a deal: work here for three months, or pay about…" Miles thought for a second, "…500 dollars." He snorted. "I can't pay, so I'm stuck here."

"So," Helen asked jokingly, "have you gone crazy yet?"

"Just about," Miles said. "If you guys hadn't visited, I might have."

"Wow, is this place that deserted?" Zane asked.

"Yup," Miles affirmed. "It kinda makes me wonder why you guys bothered to come here."

"Well," Zane said, "we met this guy who gave me a quiz about my Pokemon team. He said most of my information was wrong, and he suggested I brush up on it here."

Miles nodded, then stopped abruptly. "Wait, who was this guy?"

"Well, he had blue jeans, a denim jacket-"

"What was his name?" Miles interrupted.

"Curtis," Zane said offhandedly. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Man," Miles said, putting his hand to his head, "talk about dramatic irony."

"Dramatic irony?" Zane questioned.

"You know," Miles said, "a literary term describing a situation in which a spectator, typically the reader, has essential information that the protagon-"

"What did you mean by that?" Zane interrupted, annoyed.

"You've been played for a fool," Miles said bluntly. "Curtis is the Gym Leader. He quizzes every trainer that comes into town to challenge him. Once they've told him what's on their team, he sends them here so that he can prepare a team to beat theirs."

Zane gaped, then snarled. Helen snorted, unsuccessfully holding back a laugh.

Zane wheeled on her. "You knew?"

"No," Helen admitted, "but this is pretty funny."

"Great," Zane said, slamming his hand into his head. "What do I do now?"

"Well," Helen replied, "if you still want to train at the gym, you'll just have to go anyway."

"Just be ready for a tough fight," Miles warned. "Curtis's Pokemon will have an element advantage over yours, for sure."

"How do you know that?" Zane asked.

"Curtis may be restricted to using grass types," Miles said, "but that still gives him a lot of versatility."

"Guess we'd better go, then," Zane said. He and Helen picked up their backpacks and headed for the door.

"Can I come?" Miles asked.

"Sure," Zane said, "but why?"

"Just a little relief from the boredom," Miles said. "My boss won't mind."

"Come on, then," Zane said, and the three walked out of the library towards Curtis's house.

* * *


	10. First Struggle

**A/N: Whew. _That _certainly took me long enough to write/publish. I am _really_ slacking on writing in general. Sorry if this chapter is a bit long; I couldn't figure out where to quit.

* * *

**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; it belongs to Nintendo, Gamefreak, etc. All of the OCs and the Doren region, however, are mine.

* * *

Helen and Miles stood in the rain nearby Curtis's house, watching with expressions of amusement and mild disdain at Zane, who was pounding on the door of Curtis's house like a maniac.

"Hey, Curtis," Zane yelled for probably the fifth time, "what's the matter? Scared? Come out here already! You're gonna get it for-"

"Oh my, looking for me, are you?" came Curtis's eerily calm voice. Helen and Miles turned around to see the Gym Leader standing behind them with his hand on the bridge of his nose, as if adjusting an invisible pair of glasses.

Zane stopped for a second, then turned around slowly. An expression of embarrassment crossed his face, followed quickly by a look of overly intense anger.

"Yeah, I was," Zane said quickly, trying to get Curtis (and, more importantly, Helen and Miles) to forget about the scene they had just witnessed. "What's the deal with you, anyway? Too scared to fight me without knowing what's up my sleeve first?" As if on cue, the left sleeve of his sweater flapped slightly.

Curtis stifled a laugh. "Well, someone's figured it out quickly. Miles," he continued in a sarcastic, scolding tone, "you wouldn't have happened to help him on this one, would you?"

"I might have," Miles replied.

"Really, you must stop giving away my plans," Curtis muttered disapprovingly. "How will the challengers ever learn anything if you give them all the answers?"

"Sorry," Miles said sheepishly.

"Of course, that's all beside the point," Curtis continued. "Now, then, Zane, I suppose you want a match?"

"No," Zane said sarcastically, "I want a sandwich! What do you think I want?"

"Very well, then," Curtis replied, his voice slightly serious. "Just come to the gym when you're ready. It's a greenhouse on the south side of town."

"What do you mean, 'when you're ready'?" Zane said aggressively. "I'm ready now!"

"Alright," Curtis replied. "If you're so eager to get on with it, follow me." The Gym Leader proceeded to walk off, and was swiftly trailed by Zane. Helen followed Zane, strolling casually and whistling.

Miles watched the three walk off and grinned.

"Ooh, conflict," he said giddily. "This is gonna be good."

Miles ran after the others, shielding his book bag from the rain.

* * *

"You and Curtis aren't playing some huge joke on me, are you, Miles?" Zane asked as he, Helen, and Miles walked through the large greenhouse that Curtis's directions had led them to.

"No," Miles said sincerely, "this is actually his gym."

"Really? 'Cause it looks more like a salad bar to me," Helen said.

Zane nodded. He had been expecting something a little more professional for his first gym, but rather than a training facility, Curtis's directions had led them to what was essentially an indoor garden. The walkways of the greenhouse were clearly defined by the plants on either side, most of which were ripe with fruits and vegetables. It was difficult for Zane to believe that Curtis might actually hold a battle in here.

"Well," Miles continued, "I guess it kind of is. Curtis grows most of the produce for Jade City in here. But it's _also_ a gym," he added, grabbing an apple off a low tree.

Almost immediately after he grabbed it, a hand with three leaf-like fingers snatched it back. Zane and Helen started in surprise. Miles cringed as a sunken-eyed head emerged from the tree's leaves.

"Oh, Shiftry!" Miles said with a nervous laugh. "I didn't see you there..."

"Treee," Shiftry grunted, narrowing its eyes in warning.

"Right," Miles said grudgingly.

"What was that about?" Zane asked.

"That was Curtis's Shiftry," Miles explained, "He's kind of the greenhouse guard. Curtis generally doesn't like people taking samples before he sets them out."

"Okay," Zane answered. Helen nodded and tried to hide some carrots in her pocket.

"So is that what I'm gonna fight?" Zane asked. "I bet I can take it."

"I wouldn't count on it," Miles replied. "Don't forget that Curtis knows what you've got for Pokemon. Besides, he only uses Shiftry against strong trainers. So you've got nothing to-"

"'Strong trainers'? What's that supposed to mean?" Zane growled, turning on Miles.

"Just what he said," Helen answered glibly.

"You stay out of this!" Zane snapped.

"Ummm…" Miles said, confused.

"MILES!" roared a deep voice. "Slacking off again, are you?"

Miles slapped his forehead and groaned.

"Oh, great. It's my boss."

Zane and Helen turned to see a large, fat, black-haired man running down the corridor towards the three of them. There was an expression of annoyance on his face.

"How many times have I told you to stay at the library?" the man scolded.

"That depends," Miles muttered, clearly annoyed. "Do you want an honest answer, or one of your overblown estimates?"

"Don't mouth off to me!" the man said. "I'm not taking money off your debt for the time you spend goofing off with your friends!"

"Give me a break!" Miles complained. "The place is empty, as in deserted, barren, abandoned, vacant, untenanted… any way you say it, there's no one th-"

"Stop complaining!" the man said strictly. "Just go back and do your job!"

"At least let me see this gym battle," Miles begged. "C'mon, please?"

"Gym battle?" the man asked. "What do you mean by-"

"Ah, there you are, Zane," Curtis said, emerging from the bushes. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up."

"Yeah, well think again!" Zane said. "Nobody fools me and gets away with it!"

"That's what I mean," Miles said, continuing to argue with the other man. "Come on, Mr. Dure, just this once!"

Mr. Dure sighed. "Curtis? Is this alright with you?"

"I don't see a problem with it," Curtis said, gesturing at Zane, "just as long as Miles doesn't yell out hints to my opponent here."

Miles grinned. "You got it, Curtis. I'll be completely quiet!"

Dure muttered under his breath. "Alright then, Miles, but after this, I want you back to work. And I'm adding on to your time for this!"

Miles flinched. "Fine."

"Good. See you later, Curtis," Dure called as he walked towards the door.

"Well, now that that's over," Curtis said, clearing his throat, "Let's go to the arena, shall we?"

"Oh, no you don't!" Zane said firmly. "No more stalling! Let's settle this right here, right now!"

"Very well," Curtis said, his voice becoming immediately serious. "If you're so eager to be beaten, who am I to deny you?"

Zane pulled Wraith's pokeball from his belt and stepped back, a determined look on his face.

Curtis walked back from Zane about thirty feet down the walkway and turned around, drawing a pokeball from his belt and tossing it into the air.

"Go, Lotad!"

Curtis's pokeball opened and a beam of white light shot out in an arc, coming to a stop about five feet from where the gym leader stood. The light reformed into a ball, spun for a moment, and transformed into a small blue creature with six stub-like legs and a lily pad on its head.

"Lotad!" the Pokemon cried.

Zane laughed derisively. This didn't look like too much of a threat.

"I thought you had something tough!" he said. "All right, Wraith, go get 'em!"

Zane threw his pokeball, and Wraith appeared on the battlefield, the blue flames on his back ignited.

Curtis and Lotad both stared for a second at Wraith.

"That's an unusual Cyndaquil you have there," Curtis mused, "but don't expect me to be intimidated."

"Oh, I'm not too worried about intimidating you," Zane taunted. "Whether you're scared or not doesn't mean too much. If all you've got is grass-types, you're going down!"

Curtis grinned. "We'll see. Lotad, water gun!"

"What?" Zane said nervously. "Wraith, dodge!"

Wraith sidestepped quickly, just barely avoiding the wet blue missile that had just left Lotad's mouth.

Zane turned accusingly to Miles. "I thought you said he only used grass-types!"

"He told you right," Curtis confirmed. "I do use only grass-type Pokemon. But that's what's so wonderful about them: they're surprisingly versatile. Now, let's get on with this, shall we? Lotad, fire again!"

Lotad turned around and ran back a few steps on its stubby legs, then whipped itself around and shot a blue, rippling bullet of water straight at Wraith's head. The Cyndaquil didn't even try to dodge, standing unnervingly still until the attack struck him head-on, plowing him backwards and landing him on his stomach."

Zane grimaced and stared the Cyndaquil, slightly exasperated. "Don't just stand there, Wraith! If an attack's coming, dodge it!"

Wraith nodded and coughed, sending a small jet of flame out of its mouth. The jet died quickly, but one of its sparks landed on Lotad's lily pad, setting it on fire. Lotad started dancing madly as Wraith got to his feet.

"Upping the game in the middle of the match, are we?" Curtis asked teasingly. "That's unusual. Not to mention unfair."

"Like you're one to talk about that!" Zane said triumphantly. "Do it again, Wraith! Use flamethrower!"

* * *

Miles turned and whispered to Helen.

"He's joking, right? He's got to be joking. I mean, only a total moron could confuse ember with flamethrower."

Helen smiled and stifled a laugh.

* * *

Wraith sucked in a breath and blew, releasing a small jet of flame from his mouth.

Curtis's right eye twitched slightly. "Dodge, Lotad."

Lotad flattened itself to the ground, causing Wraith's attack to go just over its head. The jet of flame landed in the shrubs on the side of the path, causing them to ignite.

Curtis's eye twitched again. "Lotad, use water gun on the bush!"

Lotad turned around and shot a bullet of water at the bush. The small fire Wraith had started went out with a _hiss_ and a jet of smoke.

Curtis turned his attention to Zane. "I'd appreciate it if you'd regulate your ember usage," he said calmly. "This greenhouse represents a considerable investment of my time."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Zane said with mock innocence. "So you don't like it when I do this? Wraith, use ember on the plants!"

The small Cyndaquil responded quickly, shooting a shower of sparks just big enough to start a fire at a corn plant growing on the side of the path.

Curtis's eye twitched. "Lotad, put it out!"

"Oh my," Zane said deliberately, pretending to just notice the fire as it was snuffed out by Lotad's attack. "I'm _really_ sorry. I'll try to be a little more careful from now on. Wraith, do it again!"

Barely even changing his direction, Wraith shot a small jet of flame at another corn plant.

Curtis's eye twitched. "Lotad, again!"

Lotad shot another, larger bullet of water at the ignited corn plant. The bullet hit the cornstalk and exploded like a water balloon, extinguishing the flame with a _hiss_ and drenching the ground around the corn plant.

"Good job, Wraith!" Zane whispered, leaning towards Wraith and hoping that the Cyndaquil could hear him. "Shoot a few more off, would ya?"

Zane allowed his face to slip into a contrived expression of terror as Wraith complied, shooting off small jets of flame haphazardly at the sides of the path. The brilliant blue-white projectiles whizzed into the bushes, causing a few small fires, about the size of candle flames, to spring up.

"Wraith, stop it!" Zane said with mock anger as Wraith continued to fire off blue-white embers, giving the greenhouse an unnatural ambience. He turned his attention to Curtis, trying not to grin as he saw the Gym Leader's eye begin to twitch out of control.

"I'm sorry," Zane said, trying his best to sound hopeless despite an urge to laugh. "He just won't listen to me!"

His façade quickly changed to actual nervousness as he saw Curtis's eye abruptly stop twitching. An evil-looking smirk appeared on the Gym Leader's face, a smirk made all the more unsettling by the light generated by the flames.

"An enjoyable game, Zane," Curtis said coldly. "However, I'm afraid I'm quite done with it." He pointed into the trees and began barking orders.

"Shiftry, use razor wind to put out the fires whenever and wherever Wraith lights them! As for you, Lotad," Curtis replied, an unsettling smirk on his face, "Douse that little fire hazard's flame."

"What?" Zane stammered. "Wraith, get ready to dodge!"

Curtis's Pokemon acted simultaneously. A few leaves ruffled in the tree where Shiftry was hiding, a motion that was quickly followed by a gale of more than sufficient magnitude to snuff out the candle-sized fires that Wraith had managed to light. At the same time, Lotad spat forth a bullet of water roughly the diameter of a watch. Zane cringed and turned away as the water sped towards Wraith's back… and fizzled out in an inglorious jet of steam.

Zane looked back towards the battle. Wraith was standing a foot to the left of where he had been before, and there was no evidence that Lotad had even attacked.

_This is great,_ Zane mused, _but how…Whoa! _

Zane fought to keep himself from gaping like an idiot as he realized that Curtis's strategy had backfired. The gale that Shiftry's razor wind had created had put out the small, weak fires that Wraith had started on Curtis's plants, but the fire on Wraith's back, which had been fair-sized to begin with, was now a blue-white pyre, nearly twice Wraith's size.

_And if his fire's bigger,_ Zane elaborated hopefully, _maybe his attacks are stronger, too!_

"Use ember, Wraith!" Zane called. "Quick, before-"

But Wraith was already well underway. The flames on the Cyndaquil's back danced back and forth as he shot a blue-white sphere of flame from his mouth. Curtis cringed and muttered (something about acting too rashly) as the sphere engulfed Lotad, setting the Water Weed Pokemon's entire body on fire. For a couple frantic moments, Curtis's Lotad ran back and forth, screaming out piteous cries of pain. Then, it fell to the ground, still smoldering.

Helen's eyes widened. Miles stifled a gasp.

Curtis walked over to Lotad and dropped to his knees, muttering an order to Shiftry, who bounded out of his tree and down the greenhouse path.

"Wraith," Zane said, eyes wide, "take it easy. We don't wanna kill anyone!"

* * *

"Wraith, take it easy. We don't wanna kill anyone!"

_Why not?_ Wraith thought to himself, staring at his trainer. It wasn't his fault that that pathetic little lily pad's entire body was on fire. Well, at least not entirely. That Shiftry's razor wind was partly responsible for that. Besides, Zane had given him the order to attack. Not that it mattered whose fault it was. The battle was won. Did he regret that now?

A splashing sound and a few pained coughs caught Wraith's attention. He didn't bother to look at Curtis; he knew what sort of scene was unfolding: the Shiftry had brought a bucket of water to extinguish Lotad. Curtis was probably joyful now, but he would punish it later.

_So what if I almost killed that weakling, Zane?_ Wraith asked, staring at his trainer as he returned to his poke ball.

_That's what weapons are for...

* * *

_

"Well," Curtis said, returning Lotad to its poke ball, "now that that's out of the way, I must congratulate you, Zane. The strategy you employed was almost as intricate as one I might use myself."

"You know it!" Zane said importantly. "I slaughtered you!"

"True, true," Curtis admitted. His voice was unusually humble, almost broken.

"Does he usually gloat like this?" Miles whispered to Helen.

"Well, I've never seen him in this kind of situation, but I imagine so," Helen muttered back.

"Hey, do you guys mind?" Zane asked, annoyed at the background noise. "I'm still telling this jerk off!"

"Not at all," Helen said, smirking. "Please, continue."

"Thank you," Zane said through gritted teeth. He turned back to Curtis and launched into what he hoped would sound powerful.

"It just goes to show you, Curtis, that concepts like…"

Zane turned to Miles. "What would be a good term for this?"

"Poetic justice?" Miles offered.

"Right, thanks." Zane turned back to Curtis again.

"It just goes to show you, Curtis, that concepts like 'poetic justice' work in the real world, too. You may have thought you could beat me by using underhanded tactics and deceptive strategies, but you never understood that no amount of trickery can stand up to rock-hard integrity, a thorough understanding of your opponent-"

"Which he had, by the way," Helen interrupted.

"Shut up!" Zane said. "Anyway, Curtis, you calculated for all the factors but one: your own temper."

"You've got me there," Curtis said.

"I went prepared to face my weaknesses," Zane lied, his voice rising in an attempt to build dramatic suspense. "And that's why I am-"

"You do know, of course," Curtis interjected, his same smug tone returning as he rose to his feet, "that I'll expect you to pay for damages."

"DAMAGES?" Zane yelled in surprise. "Damages to _what_?"

"Damages to my Gym, of course," Curtis said with glib sarcasm, kneeling to inspect a corn plant. "Look at these burns," he said, with rehearsed care. "This poor plant won't be growing anything for a long time. How am I going to provide corn to feed myself and my Pokemon? And what about my poor Lotad?"

"Look, I'm sorry!" Zane said. "But I don't have any money, okay?"

"In that case," Curtis replied, "I'll just deduct it from your winnings."

"Wait," Zane said, "so, I won something?"

Miles sighed. "How ignorant are you? If you win a battle with a Gym Leader, you get a cash prize and the Gym Leader's badge. That's pretty much the whole point of battling in Gyms in the first place!"

"Oh," Zane said.

"Anyway," Curtis said, "congratulations, Zane. I can get your money for you later, but here's your Limb Badge." He pressed a small piece of metal shaped like a tree branch into Zane's hand.

"Thanks, I guess." Zane replied.

"You know," Curtis mentioned, "if you've got the skills to beat me, you should consider challenging the other Gym Leaders. There are seven others in various towns around Doren. They should prove to be an interesting challenge, even if most of them don't use as… original tactics as I do."

"'Original'?" Zane muttered. "You mean 'underhanded'."

"No," Curtis asserted, "I mean 'original'. In any case, you should really give it a try, Zane. It would be a shame to waste what talent you have."

"Alright," said Zane. "Where's the next one?"

* * *

Zane stuffed the map Miles had given him into his bag, which was sitting on a chair in the library. Zipping up the bag, he turned to Miles.

"Well, Miles, thanks for the help," he said.

"Yeah," Helen added, rising from her seat, "and thanks for letting us hang out in here."

"I guess we owe you one," Zane added, slinging his backpack over his right shoulder and fumbling with the left strap as well as he could. When he had finally gotten it on, he and Helen walked to the door, with Miles and Mr. Dure, who had come back to the library, following them.

"Well, see ya lat-"

"Do you mind if I take you up on that?" Miles blurted.

"Huh?" Zane asked.

"You said you owed me," Miles said. "I'll take you up on that. Let me come with you! It won't take me long to get-"

"Nice try, Miles," Mr. Dure said sternly. "You've still got a debt to work off. There's no way you're leaving now."

Miles turned to Mr. Dure, an expression of surprise on his face.

"Mr. Dure, don't tell me you'd let me pass up this opportunity!"

"Opportunity to do what?" Mr. Dure asked accusingly, jabbing a finger at Miles. "Slack off?"

"Come on," Miles said, pointing at Zane with an expression of awe. "I felt something during this kid's fight with Curtis, and I can tell you, he's going places! He might be embarking on an incredible journey! It could very well be the next great story! But it will all be for nothing if no one is there to chronicle it!"

Miles paused for a second, looking at the astonished expressions on Mr. Dure and Zane's faces before continuing.

"Let me go with these guys so I can record their story. I promise I'll work my butt off when I get back. The world can't afford to lose an opportunity like this!"

By now, Mr. Dure seemed truly touched.

"All right, Miles," he said, "you can go with them. And if you bring back a manuscript of what happens to you, I'll even take some time off your debt."

"Thanks, Mr. Dure," Miles said earnestly. "You're doing the right thing."

He turned enthusiastically to Zane and Helen.

"Well, let's get going!"

Zane, trying to contain a grin, walked off, with Miles and Helen following. When they were away from the library, Zane turned to Miles.

"Hey, Miles, did you really mean everything you said?"

"Not a word of it," Miles said with a straight face, ignoring Zane's suddenly crestfallen expression. "But anything's better than staying at that library!"

Helen laughed. "I figured. You're an amazing liar, Miles."

"Thank you both for crushing my self-esteem," Zane said, annoyed. "Now, can we just get going?"

And with that, the trio left Jade City.

* * *


	11. Sable

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; it belongs to Nintendo, Gamefreak, etc. All of the OCs and the Doren region, however, are mine.**

**A/N: It seems to me like the story won't be much good unless I translate what the Pokemon are saying. So, from now on, when needed (which excludes battle cries, shouts of pain, etc.) Pokemon speech will be translated in parentheses .

* * *

**

The plains north of Jade city were a somehow out-of-place spectacle in winter. With their tall grasses and seemingly random clusters of trees, they gave the impression of some sort of frigid savannah in a region that didn't seem to foster such an environment. In summer, however, with the grass chest high in most places, the leaves large and green on the trees, Wurmple so plentiful that they were practically always underfoot, and the area generally wet, the plains were not so much a spectacle as a headache to the few people who chose to cross them.

The plains were also, as a general rule, quiet. Today, however, the "general rule" didn't seem to apply. Terrified Wurmple skittered off in every direction, wondering what they had done to incur the wrath of the new predator on the plains. They could hear its cries of rage as they ran, fearing for their lives. In reality, though, the poor, frightened Wurmple had nothing to worry about. The "new predator" was barely aware of their existence.

"What do you mean, you 'lost the road'?" Zane shouted at Miles, who was leading the group with his head buried in a map.

_At least he's keeping the Wurmple from getting under our feet,_ Helen thought, strolling along as calmly as she could, what with Zane's constant shouting.

"Just what I said," Miles shot back, evidently annoyed. "It looks like this map is older than I thought. Besides, let's see _you _read a map accurately while trying to keep your Pokemon from destroying it." He reached a hand back to grab Ivan, who had burst out of its poke ball and was charging an attack.

"Couldn't you at least tell me where we're going?" Zane asked.

"Opal Town," Miles grunted, letting go of Ivan long enough to draw the Unknown back into its poke ball. "There's no gym there, but it's the closest town to here other than New Pallet, and it's got a better-stocked poke' mart." He looked up from his map and scanned the surrounding area. "Supposedly, there's a road that goes there from Jade City, but I don't see it anywhere."

"Well maybe you could have picked a more recent map," Zane said.

"This is the most recent map the library had," Miles said, gritting his teeth. "Nobody from Jade City wants to bother to update it."

"You'd think they'd at least maintain the road," Helen observed.

"They did, a while back," Miles responded, "but no one wants to anymore. I guess the rumors got to them after a while."

"What rumors?" Zane asked.

Miles held his book bag a little closer. "They say these plains are haunted."

"Haunted?" Helen asked, her voice slightly hushed.

"Oh, is that all," Zane shrugged.

"What do you mean, 'is that all?'" Helen asked.

"Come on," Zane replied mockingly. "Don't tell me you believe in ghosts."

"_Human_ ghosts: no," Helen began.

"Ghost _Pokemon_: yes," Miles finished. "People say that ghost Pokemon came here from Labyrin Forest to the south, drawn by some kind of tragedy. Supposedly, their screams drive people to mindless slaughter."

"Mindless slaughter?" Helen laughed nervously.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Zane shrugged. "Let's just keep going. The time you chickens are using telling ghost stories could be used getting out of this field. If we actually start walking, we'll be out of here by nightfall! Come on, let's go!"

* * *

Seven hours later, wet and tired (and in the cases of Miles and Helen, frightened and annoyed), the three were setting up camp beneath a small stand of trees. A small fire had been started, using whatever wet wood they had been able to find, and they had eaten a small dinner. They were now unpacking for the night, which was well on its way.

"'Out of here by nightfall', eh?" Miles asked cynically as he unrolled his sleeping bag. "I can't see the end of this place anywhere, Zane."

"So what?" Zane said defensively. "It's not like we're going to try to _murder _each other, or anything," he added, dragging out the word "_murder_".

"J-just shut up about that, okay?" Miles said. "You're the only one who's convinced it's a joke."

"Sorry, Miles," Zane said insincerely, "I guess I can't help myself. The whole things sounds _drop dead _funny! It's a _killer_! Maybe you don't think it's a joke, but you've got to admit that this whole story sounds-"

"I know who _I'm_ gonna kill if I go crazy tonight," Helen threatened as she slid into her sleeping bag.

"All right, all right!" Zane replied, half-teasing, as he got into his own sleeping bag. "Fine, I'll stop. G'night, you guys. Don't stay up telling ghost stories all night."

Zane rolled over and was quickly asleep.

"Could he be any more obnoxious?" Miles asked softly, shaking his head.

"Don't ask," Helen whispered back, prodding the fire. "I don't want to find out."

"You think you're gonna be able to sleep?" Miles continued.

"We've got to, right?" Helen replied, trying to joke. "But personally, I'd feel safer with somebody standing watch."

"You don't expect me to do that, do you?" Miles groaned as he put out the fire.

"Nah," Helen answered, pulling a poke ball out of her pocket. "I'll have one of my Pokemon do it. This one's better suited for it than a human, anyway." She opened the ball, releasing her Ekans.

"Ekans?" Helen yawned. "Keep watch, okay?"

"Kansss? Anssek," (That's my first job?) Pathetic, Ekans mumbled, pulling itself into a pose similar to that of a charmed Arbok.

"If you see any ghosts, use Poison Sting on them," Helen added, nodding off.

"Sss…" (Whatever…) came the reply. Helen and Miles, who had both fallen asleep, didn't hear.

* * *

The last rays of the setting sun sparkled on the waters near Olivine city as schools of Remoraid jumped in the distance. Zane sat on the dock, fishing rod in hand. A small ripple appeared around his line, and he started reeling eagerly. For what seemed like forever, he sat struggling with the unseen opponent on the other side of his rod. Finally, a red-and gold flash appeared just beneath the surface. Zane eagerly reeled the line to the surface, and cried out in surprise as the Magikarp he had reeled up flopped off his line and into his lap.

The amused laugh of a ten-year-old boy came from behind him.

"Magikarp again, Zane?"

Zane smiled softly. It had been six long years since he'd heard his best friend's voice.

"You just wait, Evan," he said, picking up the Magikarp by its dorsal fin and throwing it back into the water. "Someday I'm gonna pull in a Gyarados!"

"Heh. Gimme a break!" Evan laughed.

Zane turned to look at his friend. He was just the way he remembered him: short for his age, blue shirt, olive green pants… his blonde hair was even styled in the same pattern, reminiscent of an Omastar's shell.

"How do you expect to pull in a Gyarados with a flimsy old rod like that?" Evan asked, still laughing.

Zane sighed and pretended to be annoyed. "I just _will_, okay? Sheesh!"

Evan shrugged and changed the topic.

"Hey Zane, are you finally going to be a Pokemon trainer this summer?"

Zane smiled softly; his old words were coming back to him.

"Heh. Wish I could," he said with a tone of decided bitterness, "but you know my parents. They think I'm gonna get myself killed. What's gonna happen? Am I gonna get eaten by a Magikarp?"

"Just adult stuff, I guess," Evan said without too much concern. "It's not all bad staying here," he continued, in a consoling tone. "There's lots of stuff to do-"

"Like what?" Zane interrupted.

"Like… well, I dunno. Just lots of stuff," Evan replied vaguely. He sighed.

"Why do you wanna leave so badly anyway, Zane?"

Zane grinned, remembering his argument.

"'Cause, Evan," Zane said, sitting down and putting his hands behind his head, "There's not as-"

Zane stopped. Why was he sitting down? He had already been sitting, hadn't he? He put his hands in front of him.

He wasn't holding a fishing rod.

He jumped back up and looked around the docks.

There was no one else there.

Suddenly, he heard his own voice coming from down the docks, clearly real, but at the same time distant, like some half-forgotten memory.

"Cause, Evan, there's not as much to do around here as you think…"

Zane felt his feet moving him down the dock. He tried to pull his legs together, but he found he couldn't stop moving.

"You can play in the lighthouse, or swim, or fish, or play on the beach, and that's it…"

The voice continued to speak as he slowly moved down the dock, and eventually he saw the person it was coming from, a small dot at the end of the dock. Yet despite the distance, Zane could somehow make out the figure's features, and he knew who was speaking.

There was no mistaking him. Red shirt, blue sweatpants, auburn hair…

_T-That's me when I was ten!_

The voice began to pout childishly.

"…I don't wanna stay here forever! ..."

The figure blacked out for a second, and was replaced by an older figure. It was obvious to Zane that it was the same person, but they were older now, wearing a light green T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans.

Zane's eyes widened. The figure looked the same as he had before the shipwreck. He felt different, though. There was an unsettling aura around him.

The figure continued speaking.

"…I wanna get out of here before I'm old and grey! ..."

Zane suddenly found that he was at the edge of the dock, standing right beside the other him, who was staring down at the wood planks of the dock with an angry expression. One foot was suspended in midair over the water, as if he had been about to walk off.

The voice became more mature, distant. For the first time, it looked straight at Zane.

"…I wanna know what's out there. Don't you?"

Zane tried to make his frozen body recoil. He now thought he knew what was so unnerving about the figure. It looked just like him, but the eyes were different. They weren't green, like his own, they seemed to consume everything around them, and they had no soul.

He was staring into blood-red oblivion.

The figure gave Zane a sort of passive, heartless smile, then reached out its hand and shoved him into the water.

But to Zane's horror, the water wasn't there.

He tried to scream, but as he fell into the blood-red eye, he found he couldn't open his mouth…

And then, suddenly, there was an agonized scream…

"DreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."

* * *

"DreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Augh!"

Zane snapped straight up, holding his arm straight out in front of him, as if to ward off an attack. The scream had died, and the only sound he could hear was heavy snoring coming from Miles' sleeping bag. Across the coals remaining from the fire, he could vaguely see Helen, who, like him, was sitting up with her arms removed from her sleeping bag. Her eyes were wild and she was twisting her torso side to side, with a piece of wet wood in her hand.

"D-don't even try it!" she said shakily. "I- I- I'll kill _you _first!"

"Kill? What the heck are you talking about?" Zane asked.

Helen screamed and threw her piece of wood at Zane.

"Ow!" Zane grunted as the wood hit him in the head. "Hey, calm down!"

Helen stopped shaking and looked up at Zane.

"Oh… you're not insane?"

"Will you shut up with that ghost stuff?" Zane asked. "I told you and Miles, there's nothing ou-"

An agonized scream interrupted him.

"DreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Nothing to worry about, huh?" Helen snapped nervously.

"Skaaansss?" So, it woke you two up? Ekans asked. "Sannss Ek. Ekans ssk," That cry just came up a minute or so ago. Can't tell what it's about, it added irritably.

"Any idea where it's coming from?" Zane asked, shielding his ears as the shriek sounded again.

"Annssk," Somewhere over there, Ekans hissed, jabbing its tail into the grass just past Helen's sleeping bag.

"C'mon," Zane said, gesturing to Helen. "Let's see if we can't shut whatever-the-heck-it-is up."

"I don't know," Helen said, drawing back a step. "I really don't feel like dealing with ghosts…"

Zane sighed. "There's not gonna be any ghosts, okay?" he said, a mixture of annoyance and attempted encouragement in his voice. "Now let's go see what it is." He opened up Wraith's poke ball, releasing the little Cyndaquil, who was posed rigidly.

"Wraith, light the way, okay?"

"Daq," Very well, Wraith responded in his usual muted tone, igniting his back as Zane held him up above the grass.

Gesturing again to Helen, Zane began walking through the grass. Helen, after a second's hesitation, returned Ekans to its poke ball and followed. The two walked through the grass for some distance, muffling their footsteps (and hiding Wraith's flame) as well as they could. The agonized cries continued to sound as they walked, and eventually, they heard snatches of conversation in the lulls. As they moved closer, the conversation became more legible.

"I told… we… that…punishing… thing!"

"If you want… Superior's…well… leave… out of it. It's…Dewgong food."

They were just nearing another clearing. Helen stopped Zane, who returned Wraith to his poke ball again. Once the light was gone, the two continued to move forward, lowering their bodies to avoid being seen. The conversation hadn't ended due to their movement; in fact, they could now hear every word, and make out two distinct voices. In addition to the voices, two other sounds could be heard; one was a contemptuous growl, the other was a light, labored breathing, like a small Pokemon given a respite from some sort of torture.

"Don't get so angry about it," began a human voice which bore an eerie resemblance to an angry cat. "It's not as though we're expected to complete our mission tonight. Besides," the voice snarled, "this thing needs to learn a lesson!"

"Perhaps we have some time," the second voice, which was more refined, conceded, "but don't take all night about it. We've got a job to do, and the Superior is not patient. Don't think I'm covering for you, either. If you don't want to be Dewgong food, we had best be going…_soon_."

"All right," the first voice complained. "I'll try not to drag this out too much longer."

"Good," said the second voice triumphantly. "We _do _have a job to do, after all."

"Now, then," the first voice continued, apparently addressing the source of the labored breathing, "let's continue with your punishment. Poochyena, show this little rat what it gets for waking me up this late!"

"'Waking me up this late?'" Helen whispered to Zane, trying to hold down a laugh. The fear she had been feeling was long since gone. "Man, that's petty."

"I beg your pardon?" came the second voice from above their heads.

Zane and Helen looked up to see a formless black mask.

"What?" Zane said. "You 'Team Eclipse' guys again?"

"Indeed," responded the man contemptuously. "And I don't feel very much like killing anyone at the moment, so why don't you two just run off and get some sleep?"

"Yeah," echoed his friend, whose Poochyena was now snarling at the grass near Zane and Helen.

"I'd love to," Zane said casually, standing up to full height, "but there's just one problem: you guys are keeping us up with your little torture show over here."

"Don't you go pinning blame on us," said the man with the angry-cat voice. "It's this little rat's fault!" he continued, pointing into the clearing.

The pokemon he was pointing at was hardly a "rat". It had no legs or tail to speak of; indeed, it barely had a body at all. Its head, which took up most of its body, was dark purple, almost black, with lighter tufts near the end that seemed like small purple flames. Its eyes, closed in a painful grimace, could not be seen. The head ended at a collar of blood-red stones, beneath which was the pokemon's small, clothlike body. Zane recognized it as a Misdreavaus. Both its head and body had several small rips that looked much like cuts, and the pokemon was cowering beneath the hateful gaze of a small, black-furred, doglike pokemon, a Poochyena.

Zane couldn't tell what it was, but something snapped in him when he saw the Misdreavaus cowering there. It seemed insane for someone to have ordered the pathetic-looking creature to be beaten to within an inch of its life for something so trivial as waking them up. He had to say something.

"H-hey," he finally stammered, "don't you think it's probably learned its lesson? Just let that thing go!"

"And what are you going to do if we don't?" remarked the second soldier, with a decidedly disdainful air.

Zane smirked. Some part of him had hoped it would come to this.

"I _could _throw rocks at you," he replied spitefully, "but that would be a waste of effort. Wraith, get 'em!"

Zane drew his poke ball and released Wraith, who breathed a few sparks of fire at the two Eclipse soldiers. The startled men jumped back, then paused for a second. Due to their masks, it was difficult to determine where they were looking, but their gazes seemed to be riveted on the small Cyndaquil standing in front of them.

"Hey," said the first soldier, his cat-like voice a mixture of greed and shock, "Isn't that the Cyndaquil the boss wants?"

"Indeed," the second soldier said contemplatively. "Why don't we _acquire_ it?"

The first soldier nodded, and waved his Poochyena over to face Wraith. The snarling Pokemon complied with brutal glee. The second soldier pulled a poke ball from his belt and opened it silently, releasing a male Nidoran.

Zane stepped back nervously. "Two on one? Man, haven't you guys ever heard of a fair fight?"

"I can arrange that," Helen asserted, stepping forward and tossing a poke ball. "Ekans, let's even the odds!"

The large snake pokemon materialized in the clearing and hissed in a bored fashion. Wraith glanced up at it.

"Cyndaquil da," (Don't get in my way), the Cyndaquil whispered, igniting his back for battle.

"Sss," (Whatever), came the reply, as Ekans shifted its body and prepared to strike.

The first Eclipse soldier made his move. "Poochyena, Howl!"

The angry little pokemon raised its head and let out a loud "Chyenaaa!"

Zane cocked his head mockingly. "Oh, was that supposed to scare us?"

"Nope," Helen replied. "Wild Poochyena use a howl to signal the start of a hunt. Even trained Poochyena get more violent when they hear it."

"And while you two talk, we'll wipe the floor with ya! Poochyena, tackle the Cyndaquil!"

Poochyena snarled and rushed Wraith, opening its mouth in preparation for a bite. Its vicious expression gained a startled aspect when, just a two inches from its jaws, the Cyndaquil sidestepped the attack. The Poochyena tried to stop, and wound up face-first in the dirt.

"So, it _is _fast, after all," the second Eclipse soldier said, his voice just slightly touched with awe. "No matter. Nidoran, Double Kick!"

The Nidoran ran a circle and leaped, aiming a kick at Wraith's head. The Cyndaquil turned to face its second assailant and ducked, causing Nidoran to fly through the flames on its back, straight at Ekans.

"Ekans!" Helen called. "Wrap it up!"

The snake Pokemon twisted its body, bit Nidoran's leg, wound itself around the small Pokemon's body, and began to squeeze. The already badly burnt Nidoran struggled in the coils for all it was worth, but it didn't have enough strength to break Ekans' hold. After a few seconds, it hung limp, unconscious. Ekans unwrapped its body and turned to Wraith, who was dodging Poochyena's continuous lunges.

* * *

From its resting place at the edge of the clearing, the wounded Misdreavaus watched the battle with some measure of hope. He smiled spitefully at the beaten Nidoran on the ground, laughed quietly at the startled reactions of the Eclipse soldiers, and thought happily that Poochyena's turn was coming. He didn't know who the new humans or their Pokemon were, but they couldn't be all bad. After all, the one with auburn hair had spoken up for him. And the Ekans and the bizarre silver Cyndaquil called Wraith (perhaps he was a ghost, too?) were doing what he couldn't: beating that rotten Poochyena. That was enough to reassure him.

_These guys are my friends, _Misdreavaus decided happily, letting out a small "Dreea" to encourage its benefactors.

_I owe them.

* * *

_

Zane was surprised. He hadn't even given a single command, and yet Wraith was fighting incredibly well, without attacking even once. It made him wonder if he was even necessary in the chain. Nevertheless, Wraith's dodging wouldn't win the battle.

"Wraith," Zane commanded. "Stop playing around! Ember!"

Wraith stopped dodging around Poochyena and breathed out a shower of small flames. This time, it was Poochyena's turn to leap out of the way. The doglike Pokemon leaped nimbly away, just barely avoiding several of the embers.

"Heh. Your Cyndaquil's not the only one that can dodge, brat," the first Eclipse soldier taunted. "Poochyena, Tackle!"

Poochyena ran forward and slammed into Wraith, who was just getting ready to run. The hit sent Wraith skidding to the edge of the clearing. The Cyndaquil struggled to get up, trying not to flinch from his new scrapes. Poochyena ran forward to continue the attack.

"Ekans, Poison Sting!" Helen ordered.

Ekans opened its mouth and sprayed out a shower of acid droplets. The drops hit Poochyena in the back, causing it to flinch and snarl at Ekans.

"Nice!" Helen said, laughing slightly. "Now Wrap it up!"

The snake Pokemon complied, lashing out and taking a hold of Poochyena's leg. The irritated Pokemon bit back, hitting Ekans just beneath the band patterns on its neck. Ekans winced and let go in pain as blood dropped from the wounds.

"C'mon, keep going!" Helen encouraged. "Try to wrap it with your tail!"

Ekans swung its tail and tried to wrap it around Poochyena, but the smaller Pokemon was too agile for its wounded enemy to keep up. It continued to dodge, coming closer to Wraith once again.

Zane smirked. "Wraith, Ember! Now!"

Wraith stood up and breathed out more small flames. These caught on Poochyena's fur, causing the Pokemon to howl in pain. At the same time, Ekans spat more acid at its now burning foe. Poochyena howled again and began to roll on the ground in pain. Before long, the fire extinguished, and Poochyena fell unconscious from the effort.

Zane grinned. "You wanna keep this up? I'm sure Wraith'd be happy to warm you up, too," he added threateningly.

"This is a minor setback," said the second Eclipse soldier, as he and his comrade recalled their wounded Pokemon. "We _will _have that Cyndaquil," he added sternly, staring at Wraith. As he and his comrade faded into thin air, he glanced at Zane.

"We'll be back."

With that, the two disappeared. Zane and Helen returned their Pokemon, and Zane breathed a sigh of relief, turning to Helen.

"See, there was nothing to worry about. No murderous ghosts or anything. So let's go back to sleep, already!"

"Fine by me," Helen nodded. The two began to walk off toward the campsite, when Zane heard a noise behind him.

"Drea!" (Wait up!)

Zane turned around to see the Misdreavaus the Eclipse soldiers had tortured following him. He sighed.

"What do you want?"

"Dreaa_vaus_!" (I wanna come with you!) Misdreavaus responded enthusiastically.

"What? Hey, sorry, but no thanks," Zane said. "We'll do just fine without you."

"Vaus… vaus…" (But… but…) Misdreavaus looked dejected.

"C'mon, Zane, don't turn him down!" Helen said.

"And why not?" Zane asked.

"Honestly! You _still_ don't know anything?" Helen asked. "An extra Pokemon will mean more options in a fight! Besides, it's pretty rare to find one that actually wants to come with you. And then there's the fact that it's a gho-"

"Alright, you can come," Zane said, eager to just get it over with and go back to sleep.

"MISDREE!" (THANK YOU!)

"Just don't shout!" Zane snapped. "Now, what to call you…" He though for a moment before saying,

"…Sable."

Sable grinned, and fell into step behind Zane and Helen, as the two returned to the campsite for a much-deserved rest.

* * *

"Hey Zane, we're leaving without you!"

"Huh?" Zane muttered grumpily, opening his eyes a crack.

"Finally," Miles said with relief. "You slept straight through breakfast. Same with Helen. What _happened_ last night?"

"Long story," Zane said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "but the point is, I got _way _too little sleep because of a whiny ghost."

"So there are ghosts out here?" Miles asked. "The rumors are true?"

"Not that crud again!" Zane said, rolling up his sleeping bag. "Let's get moving, okay?"

"About time you got up!" Helen's voice came from the grass. Zane mumbled. _She _didn't seem very tired.

"Just gimme a sec, I'm almost ready."

Helen and Miles started to walk off into the grass. Zane slung on his pack and his belt, with its two occupied poke balls, and then, pulling out his PokeAPT, walked after them.

* * *

_Evan,_

_I know you're probably not gonna get this. Heck, I hope not. If you do, it probably means you're stuck on this Doren continent like me. You guys probably got to Sootopolis just fine, but I had this thought, that maybe something happened, and you wound up here, too. Anyway, the point is, if you get this, try to find me. I haven't seen you in six years, and I REALLY need some good company right about now. You shouldn't have much trouble finding me; I look about the same as always, except that I'm a little taller and missing an arm. I can thank a certain uncertified doctor for that (I don't know that she's uncertified, but she HAS to be). _

_With any luck, you'll never get this. But if you do, I hope I'll see you soon._

_-Zane_

"Whatcha writin'?"

"Gyah!" Zane turned around to see Helen looking over his shoulder.

"You're right, y'know;" Helen said, in a sincere but teasing voice, "I'm not certified. But I probably _could _be if there was a medical school around here. And are Miles and I _really _such-"

"Yeah, when you lecture me like that!" Zane responded. "And stop looking over my shoulder!"

"Sorry," Helen said offhandedly. "So, if you don't mind my asking, who's Evan?"

"He was my best friend," Zane said, "but I haven't seen or heard from him in-"

"Six years?"

"Shut up, alright?" Zane snapped.

"Whatever," Helen's response was again offhanded.

"I just had this thought that maybe he wound up here, too," Zane explained. "So I'm sending him a message."

"Hmm. Ok," Helen said.

"Just so you know," said Miles, "the odds of that are slim."

"You too?" Zane said, half-shouting. "Can't I send a message without everybody knowing?"

"It'd be easier if you didn't yell it out," Helen teased.

Zane sighed and hit the "Send" button on his PokeAPT. A small "ping" sounded and the screen displayed the words "Message Sent". Satisfied, he closed the PokeAPT and continued walking.

* * *

The moon shone down on the Sulfur Mountains that night. It just barely softened their visage; indeed, there was little that could be done to make the ragged mountains, some of which were volcanic, look like anything but a dragon's teeth. On one of these teeth, no different from the rest, the moon's light glinted silver off a metal platform protruding from near the peak of the mountain. From that platform, one black-armored Eclipse soldier gazed out on the Sulfur Mountains and the moon that illuminated them. He was not an ordinary Eclipse soldier; he was shorter than most, and the black plates of armor that he wore were small and nearly indistinguishable from the black cloth that composed the rest of his uniform. His shoulders and most of his upper body were covered by a short cloak that hung loosely around his neck. A large hood and a featureless mask obscured his face completely, and it was impossible to tell whether his gaze was directed at the mountains, the moon, or something else only he could see.

The strange soldier dropped his gaze for a second to the long drop in front of him. He could almost hear the sound of the new recruits training far below. He sighed underneath his mask. They were probably all beaten senseless by this hour. Very few recruits measured up to the Superior's strict standards.

The Superior. He didn't especially like her either. For the tenth time that evening, he scowled at the way she ran her operation. But he had to admit: there wasn't anyone else in Team Eclipse as fit to lead as she was. At least, if there was, it certainly wasn't _him_. The Superior had not just the drive and vision necessary to meet the team's goals; she also had _devotion_, bordering on insanity.

No, he admitted; he really was better off following her. She had the best chance of achieving Team Eclipse's ultimate goal, and really, nothing else mattered.

His mind would have driven him off on another path, had not the loud footsteps of a recent recruit caused him to turn. Just as he thought, this Eclipse soldier had business.

"Commander!" the soldier barked loudly. "A recent patrol-"

"Keep your voice down," the commander ordered. "No need to let the whole base in on it."

"Sir," the Eclipse soldier continued, this time in a softer voice, "Some of our scouts found something that might interest you." He handed the commander a PokeAPT with an open file.

The commander read the file over quickly and turned to the Eclipse soldier.

"So, they found it," he said, anger just barely detectable in his voice. "And why did you report this to me, instead of the Superior?"

The Eclipse soldier fidgeted just slightly.

"Actually, sir, I was hoping you could report this to her; after all, you have a good reputation with her, and-"

His plea was cut short by the commander's grip on his neck; surprisingly forceful, for someone with such a small build.

"And according to her orders, I don't tolerate cowards!" the commander snarled, before letting go of the larger man's neck. The Eclipse soldier sank to the floor, gasping for breath.

"I'll let you off _this time_," the commander said, throwing his subordinate's PokeAPT to the floor beside him, "but bother me again and I'll choke all the air out of you that I can get, and _then_, while you're still gasping for breath, I'll hand you over to Sacrypt."

With that warning, the commander walked into the mountain, into the dark, dimly blue-lit halls of Team Eclipse's base. As he walked, he pulled out his own PokeAPT. There had been one other message that had caught his eye. It was worth looking into.

* * *


End file.
